S2EP1: When Pigs Float & Excursions Go Wrong

WEBVTT
00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:10.400
Cruise ships promise relaxation, luxury, and absolutely nothing going wrong.
00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:16.320
But every year people disappear, accidents happen, and the official explanation somehow never gets simpler.
00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:28.559
This is Cruiseship Killer, a podcast where we examine real deaths, disappearances, and mishaps with skepticism, dark humor, and zero interest in becoming a maritime detective.
00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.399
We're not here to accuse.
00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:34.479
We're here to ask, does any of this actually make sense?
00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:36.479
Welcome aboard.
00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:45.119
Hello, welcome to season two, episode one of Cruise Ship Killer.
00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:45.759
I can't believe it.
00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:46.320
Hi, Kathy.
00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:47.119
Hi, Jeff.
00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:47.520
I know.
00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:49.359
We didn't want to do a 13th episode.
00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:50.399
It's unlucky.
00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.320
So we're just going into a new season.
00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:53.119
I know.
00:00:53.119 --> 00:01:00.640
I'm thinking to myself, why didn't we make a stink of the close of season one and that we're going into season two?
00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:02.399
But I think I know why.
00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:04.319
Because nothing changes.
00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:07.519
It's not like season two is going to have different content.
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:09.519
As a matter of fact, it's getting worse.
00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:16.799
I think we might be on the cusp of a 24-hour news channel that's devoted to cruise incidents based on what I'm seeing.
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:25.439
It is getting worse, and I feel like every time we do a podcast, you don't have to be like, no, really, cruising is so fun.
00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:26.400
You gotta do it.
00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:29.599
But the more people listen to us, I think we're driving people away.
00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:30.319
Do you think so?
00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:31.200
I don't think so.
00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:32.079
I don't think so.
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:33.840
I think people are thinking a little harder.
00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:40.159
After today today's episode, you're gonna think a little harder about what you do while you're on your cruise.
00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:40.640
Yeah.
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:42.159
When you're gonna get off.
00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:44.640
Because that's what today's show is all about, right?
00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:58.239
So the news structure, we did change the structure a little bit for for the season two, which is we're gonna cover, just gloss over some of the news of the day items that are hitting our radar that we want to mention.
00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:02.079
And they may turn into full-blown shows, who knows at some point.
00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:03.760
All right, you spotted some.
00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:06.400
I spotted a lot.
00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:10.240
It was a lot, which is why I held off on spotting more on my end.
00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:12.719
But I uh picked three.
00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:29.759
So the first one is about six male passengers on an MSC ship who are facing charges for hacking into the ship's computer system and broadcasting a fake emergency announcement that the captain had lost control of the ship and it was drifting.
00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:31.039
And this is at 6 a.m.
00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:37.840
So people are probably just you know scared crazy out of bed, like what running, you know.
00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:53.599
Um so it reminded me of the time the last time we were all on a cruise together, and we were in a lounge playing a game, and you leapt up toward the piano and grabbed the microphone and started singing the Star Wars song.
00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.280
Yeah, the Bill Murray Star Wars song.
00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.840
Star Wars, those wacky wacky Bar Wars.
00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:02.719
Yes, yeah, I couldn't resist.
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:11.520
It was a live mic, it was a cocktail lounge, and and uh the people at the bar came running out like what is going on?
00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:15.599
So you know didn't passengers stop thinking that there was like more entertainment?
00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:18.879
Maybe now you got a lawyer up for that kind of stuff.
00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.439
So I wonder what kind of trouble you can get for that.
00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:27.599
Not in as much as a fake emergency announcement, but maybe a little bit of trouble.
00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:36.240
And I read one recent one story, uh I don't know if it was this morning or last night, or it literally is fresh in my mind.
00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:39.520
Some guy, some 40-year-old guy struck some kids.
00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:52.960
Yes, and he didn't get in the jail though, he got confined to his room, which but they got cameras and everything, and then they slapped him with uh you can't you can't come back here, no no more, no, no sale for you, right?
00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.400
I heard the drink package was involved in that also.
00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:58.639
Yeah, he was apparently schnockered.
00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:01.520
Yeah, right, but man, oh man, huh?
00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:03.439
And he's he's facing charges.
00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:04.240
He should.
00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:04.639
Right.
00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.319
So they just kind of handed him right over to the police.
00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:07.840
Right?
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.080
Boy, talk about stupid, right?
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:11.039
Geez.
00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:12.960
What other what other ones do you have?
00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:20.079
The big one, I think, that had everybody in a craze uh was the viral fork incident on Carnival.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:21.519
Oh my gosh, I yes.
00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:27.759
Where the ladies were scratching dead skin off her foot, and the world was grossed out.
00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:29.439
There were so many comments.
00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:50.079
And then I remembered that Carnival even had to turn off the postings from any more people posting on it, and then they came out and said, um, no, no, we we got the fork, and it has been taken out of commission.
00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:51.920
And I thought, really?
00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:59.120
Because, you know, your other alternative is to say, uh, we don't know which fork it is, but we have a dishwasher, you know.
00:04:59.120 --> 00:04:59.519
Right.
00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.079
And so yeah, the sanitizers in the dishwasher.
00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:04.959
Yeah, and then I saw We ran it through three times.
00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.519
That's what you would do with really dirty utensils.
00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:08.720
I remember being a dishwasher.
00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:08.959
Right.
00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:10.319
You'd run it through multiple times.
00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:14.639
I just am not sure whether I believed them that they found found the fork.
00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:17.519
But also uh And how can you disprove it?
00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:17.759
Right.
00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:19.920
I got it.
00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:20.639
Right.
00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:26.399
Oh no, they told us, and we went straight to a lady and grabbed all her silverware and threw it overboard, you know, whatever.
00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:27.279
What do you think?
00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:31.120
Did that get posted what that get posted while they were on the ship?
00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:32.879
Somebody did a TikTok video.
00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.839
Right right then and there, they just sent that, fired it off.
00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:37.759
So this lady's running around the ship.
00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:38.959
This is going viral.
00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:39.519
Yeah.
00:05:39.519 --> 00:05:41.839
She's easy to spot at this point.
00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:44.480
She's probably remaining in her cabin for the rest of the cruise.
00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:48.319
Yeah, there was some lady out at the pool deck in a in her in her parka.
00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:51.040
So we think that might be her, but we're not so sure.
00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:56.240
Well, the other interesting thing about this is it's a it's carnival again, of course.
00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.920
But this is the same ship that had the poop cruise.
00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:01.199
Oh my lord.
00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:01.600
Yeah.
00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:03.199
It's a cursed ship.
00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:03.600
It is.
00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:05.199
What's the name of the ship, do you know?
00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:12.399
They renamed it, so I don't remember, but it is the same refurbished, renamed poop cruise ship.
00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:16.079
Maybe, maybe carnival should change their name.
00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:19.680
I mean, carnival just kind of attracts a carnival, right?
00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:20.000
Yeah.
00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:25.279
That's not about rebranding and no one knows who you were before, right?
00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:27.199
And then everyone's like, oh, we're going on this one.
00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:28.639
Yeah, it's a remade carnival.
00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:30.240
I would you gotta wonder if it would change.
00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:30.480
No.
00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:31.360
No, probably not.
00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:35.199
No, because somebody has to be the low rung on the ladder.
00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:35.759
Right?
00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:37.759
You can't take the low rung away.
00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:39.439
So somebody's gotta be down there.
00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:41.199
Carnival's definitely I hate to say it.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:41.600
Yeah.
00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:42.079
Right?
00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:44.240
Most of the stuff that we see is happens on carnival.
00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:46.319
I've never been on carnival, nor do I want to .
00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:47.759
I have been on carnival.
00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:48.800
You have.
00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:49.279
Yeah.
00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:51.680
I was young, I had a great time.
00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.439
So it was a carnival.
00:06:53.680 --> 00:07:19.279
Well, the last one I had it is the really serious uh rope swing injury that the lady had where she had to be airlifted off the ship, and that's gonna be part of a different podcast we're doing where if you're traveling remotely on a cruise and something happens and you have to be airlifted off or need medical attention, what the costs are with that and why you should always have cruise insurance.
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:20.639
Yeah.
00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:22.240
Yeah.
00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:27.120
Actually, today I'll touch on one of the stories um bus crash.
00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:30.480
Same scenario, but this is multiple people.
00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:41.839
So now you got a remote location, or in this case it wasn't remote location, but did you know bus accidents, transportation accidents and excursions are the number one source of injury?
00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:43.120
I didn't.
00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:43.680
Yes.
00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:53.120
And in 20 around the 2010 period, there was just a a load of these things that just back to back kind of events with transportation.
00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:58.800
It makes sense though, because whenever we've been on, you're always doing a transport on a bus.
00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:02.560
I'm gonna talk about one that we were both on together.
00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:09.839
I uh yes, when I get to my story, it's absolutely there's a lot of stuff that can happen on these things.
00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:14.319
Some some some events can actually save your life, which I'll explain.
00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:20.399
So before you start your story, we'll just uh have the word of the day.
00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:27.680
The word of the day is pigs.
00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:30.800
All right.
00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:32.399
All right, that's the word of the day.
00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:34.480
So you don't have to drink alcohol.
00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:41.759
For those of you that don't have our unlimited drink package, water is free, so you can drink water.
00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:46.240
If you're recovering from a pub night, I would drink water.
00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:48.480
That's my recommendation.
00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:52.799
Um well, a lot of people listen to our podcast when they're driving.
00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:56.240
Yeah, you do not want to be drinking and driving.
00:08:56.559 --> 00:08:58.080
Yeah, no, you no, you do not.
00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:00.559
No, you absolutely don't want to be drinking and driving.
00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:01.039
Absolutely.
00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:02.480
Jeez, I actually had to think about that.
00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:02.799
Yeah.
00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:04.159
I was thinking, what are we on?
00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:04.879
A carnival?
00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:05.360
Okay.
00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:09.600
Um all right, so you want uh uh you want me to do mine?
00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:10.159
Mm-hmm.
00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:22.799
Okay, so the one that the one that caught my attention, and and just to kind of back up, though, like seriously, the bus accidents things, I'll come back, I'm not gonna do that one first because that's a little bit heavy.
00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:23.840
Yeah, it's heavier.
00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:36.480
The one that caught my attention was the this is something that happened a year ago, and it reminded me that you have a window in which to file a suit.
00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.200
And you got to file out of Florida.
00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:46.000
So I remember we did our ticket podcast about the ticket contract stuff, all the fine print, all the stuff that no one pays any attention to.
00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:48.480
Nothing is the their fault. Right, it's all on us.
00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:50.799
You have this narrow window which to act.
00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:56.960
So this story came up, and I'm reading it because it was titled Swimming with the Pigs, right?
00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:58.320
And I'm thinking, what the heck?
00:09:58.320 --> 00:09:59.519
An excursion swim.
00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:05.120
So first thing that crossed my mind is why would I need to go on an excursion to swim with pigs?
00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:08.480
I've been in several pools.
00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:11.440
I'm and I'm poking myself, I'm poking fun of myself.
00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:16.559
I'm not exactly a skinny mini, so I don't know why I'd go on an excursion for it.
00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:20.320
But anyway, swimming with the pigs caught my attention, so I dove in.
00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:29.840
And it's kind of serious in a way, but the lady was on a um, it was a Bahamas cruise.
00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:33.360
Apparently, there are three swimming with the pigs excursions you can take in the Bahamas.
00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:34.480
Very, very popular.
00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:37.519
This one's like 4.4 stars out of five.
00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:49.279
Still operating after this incident, but so you can take a boat to some location, some beach location, where yeah, you swim with domesticated pigs in shallow ocean .
00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:51.679
Shallow water.
00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:53.360
I still scratching my head.
00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:54.000
Who in the heck?
00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:55.200
You you said you would do this.
00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:56.159
I would do it.
00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:57.039
Why?
00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:00.559
It's like a novelty thing, and I love animals.
00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:01.200
Oh my God.
00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.960
Unless by the end of your story you changed my mind about swimming.
00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:07.759
No, I'm not because nothing happened with the pigs.
00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:08.799
That's the thing.
00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:15.919
She's taken the boat right over, and uh and the bench, breaks, it's a transportation injury.
00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:22.399
The bench in the boat like collapsed or she fell off or something like that when she slammed her coxic tail.
00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:22.639
Oh.
00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:25.600
So she she really injured her tailbone.
00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:38.320
So she got treated on land and uh actually treated treated on the ship, and they diagnosed it as a you know, as a, I want to say a broken tailbone.
00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:39.200
I think she actually broke it.
00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:40.080
It's painful.
00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:40.720
Right.
00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:43.759
So now it the the story's reared up again.
00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:50.159
This happened a year ago because now she's uh filed suit in in federal court.
00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:52.639
So and requested a jury trial.
00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:58.639
So you can tell that what probably happened, right, is they tried to settle, tried because most of these things settle, right?
00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:09.679
Tried to settle, and then basically Carnival was saying no, you know, we're not responsible here.
00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:13.840
And that's kind of accurate.
00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:17.440
And that happened on the way of swimming with the pigs.
00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:17.840
Yeah.
00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:19.120
So she didn't even get to do it.
00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:20.639
No, she didn't even get to swim with the pigs.
00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:21.279
Okay.
00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:28.480
So anyway, I'm pretty sure she had to actually leave the ship.
00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:38.320
So she's suing for I uh 50 is it no, that's not her um I want to say hers is uh where is it?
00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:40.320
I get from my notes here.
00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:45.360
Hers is um I don't think it's a disclosed amount.
00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:48.000
But you usually can't find what they're suig for.
00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:52.960
But you know, expenses, medical expenses, vacation, pain and suffering, she's certainly swinging for.
00:12:52.960 --> 00:13:04.000
So anyway, so that that one only caught my attention because they made it through the window, get the lawsuit in, and swimming with pigs.
00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:06.000
I never would have thought that'd be an excursion.
00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:11.200
I would do that because usually you hear of the swimming with the dolphin excursions, and I have done that.
00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:15.840
So the pigs are that makes sense, and it's like a novelty that no one gets to do.
00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:16.720
I would do it.
00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:19.200
That that makes sense.
00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:22.240
Swimming with dolphins, they they belong in the ocean.
00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:23.759
That seems to make sense to me.
00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:26.240
That's why you're not gonna run into them all the time, but a pig.
00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:36.000
You gotta wonder if there's another excursion where you can swim with the pig and then you have a what Pig roast?
00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:36.799
Oh, like a pig.
00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:37.519
Like a Hawaiian?
00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:42.480
Yeah, like do you think they have one in Hawaii where they bury the pig in the dirt and cook it?
00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:42.639
Yeah.
00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:45.519
And they don't name the pigs, all the pigs are numbers and swimming around.
00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:46.879
Who wants number nine?
00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:48.080
Woo! Number nine.
00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:49.759
No, see, then I wouldn't do it.
00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:52.960
I can't eat whatever pig I swam with earlier.
00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:57.759
You know, I would go to buy it, buy at the grocery store, right?
00:13:57.759 --> 00:13:59.360
Don't have to see it.
00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:14.559
So the other one is in looking at all of the excursion incidents that have happened historically, like I had said earlier, the buses, transportation is like number one.
00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:31.360
So in 2017, December 2017, a bus going to um some Mayan ruins, it was carrying passengers from two um two ships, same cruise lines royal.
00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:37.919
And um, and the bus uh crashed.
00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:43.039
And I think it's 12 people perished, eight Americans.
00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:54.720
The others were I think Swede, Canadian, and I oh, and there was the guide, the Mexican guide, who was on um who was on the bus.
00:14:54.720 --> 00:15:10.000
So the witnesses reported that the bus was going so fast, way too fast on this narrow straight road, dry, and um suddenly the bus lost control and a lot of people got ejected.
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:20.399
So the seat belts on the bus were actually the witnesses had said that they weren't really available, they weren't told to put them on, they were basically under the seats.
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:26.799
So um, yeah, so it was a real bad scene.
00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:37.440
But that incident and others like it, there have been several of these bus-related or accident-related things, and where there's deaths, right?
00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:51.600
That's where this kind of self-regulating and the the legal jeopardy that these cruise lines are in kind of starts to bubble up a little bit, right?
00:15:51.600 --> 00:16:00.080
Where they can't do this, hey, yeah, it's in the fine print on your ticket, but because um because they're supposed to vet.
00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:00.799
Right.
00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:01.519
Right?
00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:05.600
They're supposed to vet these things that they market.
00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.679
Now, here's what's interesting to me they don't pay any taxes on that.
00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:13.360
The money they make on excursions, they don't have to pay any U.S.
00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:14.080
taxes on it.
00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:15.519
This is like free cash.
00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:16.559
Oh, I didn't know that.
00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:21.200
So there's a lot of incentive for them to have as many of these things as possible.
00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:28.559
So here they're regulating, they have to regulate, right, and vet these providers.
00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:34.960
And if you think about it, every country is gonna have different standards.
00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:47.039
So the Dominica, maybe they don't have to have a certain classification for driving a gigantic bus 45 miles an hour on a mountain road, right?
00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:47.679
Right.
00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:51.279
But in Puerto Rico, they do, right?
00:16:51.279 --> 00:17:01.840
So you're at the mercy of whatever the local laws are and governance on on regulating, you know, kind of safety standards.
00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:08.160
So just because Carnival or anyone else vets it doesn't mean it's good.
00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:19.119
And they pay attention to online forums and postings and passenger comments and whatnot, which kind of raises the flags for them to look.
00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:26.480
And there's so many of these excursions that it's impossible for them to really monitor these things.
00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:29.039
You think about it, it's impossible.
00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:37.440
So I my understanding is that their liability is getting a little bit more in focus.
00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:39.680
The ship's liability, yeah.
00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:39.920
Yes.
00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:41.359
The cruise line's liability.
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:42.880
You know, basically, come on.
00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:47.920
They have to notify you of like this, like, yeah, this is a risky kind of thing.
00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:50.319
Like the rope incident that you talked about.
00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.599
So, anyway, those are my two.
00:17:53.599 --> 00:18:01.920
But the bus accident probably one of the biggest because of the number of people that got got injured.
00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:08.480
But I was just really intrigued that it's those incidents that that's where things go wrong.
00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:12.160
Do you remember when we took our our Mexican trip to the camels?
00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:12.720
Yes.
00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:14.640
Hey, see, that was at least it was camels.
00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:17.599
We didn't swim at the camels, but that would have been interesting, right?
00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:18.799
We were on the beach riding.
00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:22.160
We were on the beach, I know could you imagine the camels suddenly went into the water?
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:23.359
Right, I would have panicked.
00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.200
Yeah, we would have panicked because it was already, I was already panicked on the camel.
00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:31.440
But the camel was that that bus ride, remember that?
00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:32.000
Yes.
00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.400
We weren't you you got everybody's nodding their head.
00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.960
You guys remember that bus ride was we were hauling butt.
00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:37.680
Yes, we were.
00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:39.200
We were hauling butt.
00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:53.599
You know, and um, yeah, we were swaying, we were swaying, and and then while we were on the cruise, we trans we transported at one point to another transport, which happened to be the excursion operator's Jeep.
00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:54.319
Right.
00:18:54.319 --> 00:19:05.920
And just like the lady going on the pig beach tour fell off her bench and broke her tailbone, my wife got tossed in the air on the Jeep ride.
00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:06.799
Yes, I remember.
00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:10.160
Only to be saved by the guide's boobs.
00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:16.880
Like, and it was this was all caught, this was all caught on on uh somebody's cell phone.
00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:18.319
God, that would have been viral.
00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:19.599
Why didn't we post that?
00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:21.839
this was before like TikTok craze?
00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:22.240
Right?
00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:25.759
If if you had posted that, you'd be single right now.
00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.000
Ugh, no, it was brilliant.
00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:35.759
It would have been such a good meme because her face just planted and the lady and the the Mexican woman just everybody laughed.
00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:38.400
I mean we couldn't pick ourselves up off the ground, right?
00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:46.160
I mean, we were like, I mean, but seriously, she could have just flown right out of the out of the uh back of the Jeep.
00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:50.559
I will say Kris had a few tequila tastings before that, though.
00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.440
I remember Well, we all did, that's why we're all laughing hysterically.
00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:55.759
And then what was left to say, Kris?
00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:57.200
Lo siento mucho?
00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.920
But that was almost an incident when I think about it.
00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:04.000
It was a transport incident.
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:04.720
Yes.
00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:09.359
I know technically we could say I guess we had a camel tequila incident as well, right?
00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:16.240
You know, there was lots of tequila at the little lunch thing before we got into those Jeeps, but yeah.
00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:16.880
Yeah.
00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:18.480
That was a really good lunch.
00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:18.960
Okay.
00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:20.079
I do remember that.
00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:20.640
That was good.
00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:21.680
That was a good lunch.
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.720
Yeah, that was.
00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:28.319
But the whole, yeah, the Jeep ride was that was a cherry on on top.
00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:30.079
All right, you got one?
00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:44.880
I have uh interesting one that is is really I don't know, unbelievable, but mine is from 2025 in Australia on an Australian cruise.
00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:53.759
It was a 60-day cruise that went uh kind of encircled the top of Australia from Cannes to Perth.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:21:00.240
And it was involving an 80-year-old lady who is quite fit.
00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:04.400
She's she's part of a bush walking club.
00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:10.000
She's fit, she walks, but she went to her doctor before she got on this cruise and got a clean bill of health.
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:15.680
So she, this is the second day of the cruise, the very first stop.
00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:23.200
She signed up for a guided hiking excursion on Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef.
00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:29.839
And the hike was starting like midday, and it was already super hot that day.
00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:38.559
And so a lot of people were saying it was too hot and that maybe they should have canceled the walk because of the heat, but they didn't.
00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:41.519
They took everybody up anyway.
00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:53.119
So it was like a two and a half mile walk, which this story was on 60 Minutes Australia, and the lady that was reporting had a guide take her on this walk.
00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:54.880
And it's it's not an easy walk.
00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:59.759
There were parts of it where you have your hands out in front of you on the rocks.
00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:03.759
using your legs and you're kind of like it's not all a trail.
00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:06.799
You're like scaling, you know, rock.
00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:12.319
So this 80-year-old's really going on a tough hike.
00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:13.759
She's a pretty fit 80-year-old.
00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:14.240
Yeah.
00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:16.000
It it's it was a tough hike.
00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:16.559
Nice.
00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:24.880
So she started the hike and I don't know, part of the way through she started feeling sick.
00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:28.319
So she tells the guide, I'm not feeling very well.
00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:39.759
And the guide tells her, um, okay, turn around and walk yourself back down the trail to the beach and get back on the ship.
00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.200
Which How far was that walk, do you know?
00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:55.920
I don't know how far up she was when that happened, but the protocol is you radio the ship and have them send somebody up when someone is sick to come get them and escort them back to the ship.
00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:57.680
I was gonna say that makes perfect sense.
00:22:57.680 --> 00:22:58.240
Right.
00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:06.480
So is it the ship's responsibility to do that or is it the operator's responsibility to to take take her back?
00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:10.400
I think wouldn't it be the operator?
00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:21.279
Maybe probably both but he didn't make the call so he sent her on her way.
00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:21.599
Yeah.
00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:30.559
And then she must have got disoriented because she got off the main trail by like 164 feet.
00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:38.079
So when people were walking down they don't see her later um they don't see her there.
00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:38.880
Got it.
00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:47.920
So now she's she's fallen off everybody's radar and they think she made it back to the ship.
00:23:47.920 --> 00:24:00.079
So this ship does not have a scan in scan out like like the big cruise ships have they rely on manual sign-in sheets.
00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:21.680
Oh my and the tour so this was a boat no okay well no it has lifeboats I mean I think a sign in sheet is definitely indicative of a boat but okay so the excursion people clearly also did not do a head count.
00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:25.599
You know every tour I've been on you get on the bus to do a headcount.
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:28.160
Get off the bus you get back on the bus to do a head count.
00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:34.799
No head count done the ship manual sign in sheet not done.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:51.839
So 3 30 the ship leaves without her and sails off and at 6 p.m she fails to show up at dinner and then at 8 30 they're finally figuring out five hours later that she is not on the ship.
00:24:51.839 --> 00:25:02.960
So they turn around to go back and then at 1030 they send a search party out in a tender boat to go look for her and the ship doesn't get back there till 3 30 in the morning.
00:25:02.960 --> 00:25:13.680
So they're out there in the dark with flashlights they can't find her so then they suspend it until 10 o'clock the next morning when there's light and they send a helicopter in.
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:20.559
And then like 2 30 in the morning they are calling her daughter to say your mom is missing.
00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:51.759
And she is like dumbfounded like what do you mean my mom is missing how do you lose my mom you know right so the family learns that they found her body the next morning she died of heat stroke and the daughter is upset and frustrated with the cruise line and also saying my mom died alone on this trail and the possibility is high that she watched you guys sail off without her while she was lying there.
00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:58.079
So it's all very you know mentally sad.
00:25:58.079 --> 00:26:17.599
So since then the family's been frustrated with the owner of the cruise it's called NRMA because they've yet to give them details on how this happened to her mom and she said we're being treated as just like tying up a loose end.
00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:20.880
Like it took them two days to even call her to say anything.
00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:27.519
So she's not getting information and they're learning about the info from media reports.
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:39.359
And that's where she learns that all the passengers got uh their tickets refunded because they canceled the cruise after that and it didn't go on.
00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:47.119
But her mother's ticket was not refunded and so she had to call them and say I want a refund.
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:54.799
My mom didn't get to go on this cruise so they refund all the living passengers tickets and not her mother.
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:57.599
She had to call and ask them for a refund.
00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:03.200
Wow the ship I guess this wasn't a boat.
00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:07.519
They're acting like a boat the ship now they're acting like a boat people on a boat.
00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:31.200
The ship company then tries to set a narrative that it's somehow the lady's fault like well she she failed to board like she chose not to get back on the ship so they're pretty frustrated and and mad about that and then I guess four months after this they finally send the mom's belongings and her phone to her family.
00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:49.440
And I was looking to see well did the family file a lawsuit yet and surprisingly they have not publicly filed a civil suit yet they're like pushing for transparency from the cruise line and and asking for a formal coroner's request into her mom's death.
00:27:49.440 --> 00:28:00.240
And so the only statement that the cruise line made was oh we've introduced new added safety protocols after this that's their only statement.
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:12.799
So the whole story reminded me of um that couple it was like the late 90s that were taken on a dive boat excursion in the Great Barrier Reef and they left them there.
00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:20.000
They also didn't do an accurate headcount they left them there and two days later they figured out that they left them there.
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:40.640
And so they were writing messages on their dive slate help us we've been left and the dive slate washed up on a beach with their wetsuits and their gear and they never found their bodies they actually made a movie about those that couple called Open Water I don't know if you heard of that.
00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:59.839
I have heard of that but same thing same thing no count on the excursion and just sailed off and left them in the middle of the ocean so in the 80 year old woman's case she hasn't filed any suit.
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:30.799
The family has not filed a suit it says they have not publicly filed a civil suit yet because this seems like negligence on the operator in a big big way right because she was saying I don't feel so well you would think that probably if it' clearly was hot must have been if you're a guide and you're hiking with people one that's one of the first things you're gonna think of is okay lack of hydration heat stroke something's going on right so and you know not to let somebody go solo in those conditions.
00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:31.759
Right.
00:29:31.759 --> 00:30:22.480
And then uh this other story I'm just gonna do real quick because this girl is suing the cruise line for not vetting properly and the cruise the excursion operator for not um for unsafe vessel operations and disembarkation this 22 year old girl Hannah Smith went on a Carnival cruise with her boyfriend to celebrate that she graduated from college and they went on a Pearl Island beach escape expedition so she's out and they find that she was overserved alcohol and and given marijuana I'm like is there a marijuana package now because the drink package got enough problems with the alcohol but this is on the excursion.
00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:48.559
Yes marijuana and alcohol overserved alcohol so they come back and they're disembarking from the the ship and the boat and she has to go to the bathroom so the crew member says you can go in the water off the dive platform in the back the motors are off right so she jumps in and the motors were not off.
00:30:48.559 --> 00:31:02.799
Oh and so she got pulled into the spinning propeller and she lost 60% of her blood and both of her legs got cut off and so they had to airlift her and fly her to Miami and she's had to have 30 surgeries.
00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:19.359
Holy crow um from that so she is suing um and then there's a GoFundMe set up for her for $500.000 because she has all these medical bills and I think the last time I looked it was like at $82,000 so she's got a long way to go there.
00:31:19.359 --> 00:31:24.960
So oh my gosh I'm sure she's gotta get some money from that lawsuit.
00:31:24.960 --> 00:32:00.640
Oh heck yeah yeah well and all these all these entities have insurers yes right but boy the the whole vetting thing you gotta wonder how that's gonna play out right I mean all I see when I look at excursions when you're on the ship is they list them all and what you can do but then there's a ratings people rate them who've been on them and the passengers and then they'll say this was great this was not so great and I read those before I pick when but you never know.
00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:02.480
Yeah this is a buyer beware.
00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:02.720
Right.
00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:03.759
Like in a big way.
00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:04.400
Right.
00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:13.519
So I can you I can't remember do you have to pick your excursions before you didn't used to have to do that.
00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:17.119
We would just get on the ship and you would go down and sign up for them.
00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:19.599
Yeah you could right that's what I think now they're all gone.
00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:29.599
So now you I'd say the last three to four years we pick them before we get on and now they make you pay for them too they didn't they didn't make you used to pay for them.
00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:33.920
You gotta pay for them if you cancel it you'll get your money back.
00:32:33.920 --> 00:32:38.799
But you have to get them before you go or they're they're gone.
00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:44.400
Yeah so unless somebody cancels when you're when you're down there you can't get on one.
00:32:45.119 --> 00:33:00.079
So so it'd be really hard to blame a passenger being in cruise brain picking something where there may have been a low score or comments that this wasn't so hot right and they're not even thinking about that.
00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:02.240
They just are excited to go on an excursion.
00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:04.880
So that's not really so if they're all if everybody's doing it at home.
00:33:04.880 --> 00:33:07.359
Right they are you can you're not in cruise brain.
00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:10.799
So you have the ability to kind of think clearly about this.
00:33:11.039 --> 00:33:11.519
Right.
00:33:11.759 --> 00:33:22.240
But yeah you definitely have to do your homework right you definitely have to I mean there's and there's gonna be risky things right the rope swing thing you're gonna talk about I mean that's something that it's a risky activity.
00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:22.720
Right.
00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:27.440
You know I'm sure there's warnings all over the place and I'm sure the person was aware of it.
00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:32.720
Yeah excursions you gotta really definitely think about but you still want to do them.
00:33:33.119 --> 00:33:33.519
Right.
00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:34.240
Right?
00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:35.519
I like to do them.
00:33:35.519 --> 00:33:56.559
Yeah I'm just glad we made it um sometimes I don't do the ship excursions a lot and I book my own private excursions with the people in where we go now they uh the cruise line argues that that's riskier because no one's checking on them.
00:33:56.880 --> 00:33:58.160
You're checking on them.
00:33:58.559 --> 00:33:58.960
Right.
00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:09.920
I'm reading reviews and I think the big risk with from that point is if you're not on a ship excursion and you get back late the ship does not wait for you unless it's their excursion.
00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:10.880
Right.
00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:16.880
So I do be careful about that like how many hours before we leave are we getting back?
00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:20.079
And they're always like don't worry we're gonna get you back in time.
00:34:20.079 --> 00:34:40.480
Yeah they all say that I haven't missed one yet through a local excursion here's the wood I'm knocking on all right well it's a good good first show for season two I liked it all right so until next time or do you oh you want to tease out the next show?
00:34:40.719 --> 00:35:15.840
Well you're you're gonna do a promo for the Facebook oh yeah thank you for reminding me she kicked that ball right over to me I forgot all about that yeah so you can so we have a Facebook page it is Cruise Ship Killer Podcast and yeah follow us on Facebook and I think you can we get to episodes from the Facebook page they're nodding at me yes so yeah you can get I I don't do Facebook so this is the only way you can talk to me is through this I don't know what that means we have a Julie McCoy will what does that mean?
00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:52.559
Oh we have someone who's who's playing Julie McCoy oh what you're gonna be single you're still gonna be single oh my gosh yes we have a Julie McCoy yes our own Kristen is is paying attention to the Facebook page so she will definitely love to chime in and chat with you she's looking at me like I am going to kill you so yeah no go ahead talk on our Facebook page all right until the next show which is I don't even know what we're gonna talk about.
00:35:52.719 --> 00:36:09.679
There's so much happening every day is we'll we'll pick something later because both of us actually are going to be out of town for a couple weeks before we get to the next one and like we said there's so many incidents every day we have just a plether of things to talk about.
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:15.679
We can just pick any of them you know we definitely should do is come back to the dingy one find out what's going on with that.
00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:18.800
I haven't heard anything I haven't either that's what I'm curious about.
00:36:18.800 --> 00:36:24.960
There's a flurry of activity and then all of a sudden whoop you know if he if he got arrested we would have heard something.
00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:35.280
We would have for sure yeah we would have for sure but that still is a mystery we spent after we did that show we spent like 30 minutes debriefing with maps and everything.
00:36:35.280 --> 00:37:07.440
Right right and we still have no idea right anchors away anchors away bye Kathy That's it for this episode of Cruise Ship Killer if you enjoyed the show please follow rate and review or don't but statistically the people who disappear never do either is hosted by Kathy Pearce and Geoff Smith produced by Kristen Smith and David Pearce researched by our CruiseLine incident researcher page log line additional editing and sound design by Cal Deckhand.
00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:16.320
Sources for today's episode are linked in the show notes because shockingly we did not make all of this up this is a Kitty Pub production