Monday, January 18, 2010

An uplifting tale about the cruise ship industry helping Haiti... NOT

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that I am no fan of the cruise ship industry...

The cruise ship publicists do paint a pretty picture but when you get down to the real nitty gritty, it's all about making money and if distorting or destroying an economy in the process, it is simply the price someone has to pay. It's not a problem as long as the cruise ship industry makes a healthy profit.

What can I say... Big bonuses are at stake!

Case in point... While Haiti is in the throes of its worst disaster in a long line of terrible disasters, it's business as usual for "Independence of the Seas", one of the Royal Caribbean boats. I mean why should Royal Caribbean let a little thing like thousands of dead and dying get in the way of their schedule or profits?

Read about it... Cruise ships still find a Haitian berth

For a couple of good books on the dark side of the cruise ship industry read "Cruise Ship Squeeze: The New Pirates of the Seven Seas" or "Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Ship Industry" by Ross Klein who also has a very revealing website entitled Cruise Junkie!