If Only He Had an Ashtray

Here's a story that everybody's going to be talking about on social media. It's the story about the man who went on Pacific Eden, threw a cigarette butt over the rail and was removed from the ship.

The complete story appeared in the June 17 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Off the Hook

Last year after Bergen (Norway) Mayor Trude Drevland christened Viking Cruises' Viking Star in Bergen (its summer home port), she and the port's harbormaster, Inge Tangeras, were charged with corruption for accepting free trips from Viking. Viking Cruise Line chairman Torstein Hagen was also similarly charged for providing the trips. Public officials are not allowed to accept gifts from people or companies with whom they do official business.

After a lengthy police investigation, Hagen has been cleared and will not be charged. The police report recommended to the prosecutor that corruption charges against Drevland and Tangeras move forward.

The complete story appeared in the June 17 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Click on a Video .... Here Comes the Running Man Challenge

Just when you thought it was safe to click on a video, there comes a new viral video challenge that going around the digital world: The Running Man Dance Challenge. Groups are taking up the challenge all over - from police departments to sports teams.

Now here comes the first we've seen from the cruise industry. The crew of Pacific Pearl has issued a challenge to their counterparts on the other ships in the P&O Australia fleet. P^O knows their crews and says it's sure to spark a Running Man extravaganza at sea.

And it's a good way to start the weekend.

Found: One Missing Cruise Ship

After grounding in the waters off the Panamanian coast in December, being taken out of service for repairs, and then ambiguous information about its return numerous times, Windstar's Star Pride has finally resurfaced and returned to service. Along the way, in addition to having the hole in the hull repaired, it also got a major interior upgrade.

Windstar says they invested $4.5 million in the transformation, and Star Pride has now been upgraded to the level of its sister ships, Star Breeze and Star Legend.

Details appeared in the June 16 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Strikes Continue to Disrupt Piraeus Turnarounds

Cruise lines like to begin or end itineraries at Athens. Not only does the location offer them lots of itinerary options, but it's a great place for pre- and post-cruise stays for passengers. There is so much to see, it can easily fill several days and barely scratch the surface.

But ships that start or end cruises there are getting harder to find and may soon disappear altogether. The ongoing dockworkers' strike is tarnishing the port's image with passengers and cruise lines alike, both of whom have had to deal with the lack of services and carrying lots of bags.

The complete story appeared in the June 16 edition of Cruise News Daily.