Tired of Half-Assed News About Small Ship Cruises?

(Courtesy of Polar Star Expeditions)

It’s true.  Negative news sells.  That is why a cruise calamity catches our attention.  Positive news is usually, uh, buried next to the obituaries or never offered up – or followed up – at all.  And this seems truer of the small ship cruises than the big-box behemoths.

Why is that?

Big-box Cruise Lines Have Big Bucks

Whether you’re a big-box cruise or small-ship fan, by now you’ve probably heard far more than you care to know about the fire on board the Carnival Splendor last November.  It left her without power, floating 50 miles off Mexico’s Pacific coast.  Thankfully no one was injured or killed but it led to thousands of inconvenienced (and smelly) passengers and crew.

Big-box cruise lines have big-box budgets and a healthy chunk is continuously spent to ensure a strong (and mainly positive) presence in the media, especially after a catastrophe.  So what’s the latest press on the Carnival Splendor?  All you have to do is Google it and you’ll find heaps of coverage and press releases, like this one, or maybe this one.

Specialty Cruise Lines Pale in Comparison

It’s just not the same deal with the smaller cruise ships.  If there are mishaps, you can bet the media and fear mongers are all over it with a ‘shoot first, aim later’ approach.  And to a degree, this is understandable.

But the naysayers seldom follow up with the rest of the story, partly because it’s difficult and costly for the small cruise operators to maintain a large enough profile in the public eye, but mainly because there are other more sensational stories to chase.

And where does this leave you?  Exactly.  With half a story that has no ending.

Here’s the Proof

Two recent incidents in Antarctic waters come to mind.

Clelia II (Courtesy of Travel Dynamics)

The Clelia II and the Polar Star, both specialty cruise vessels each with around 80 passengers on board are classic examples of mishaps that resulted in incomplete, erroneous and downright sensationalistic stories by the media and others who may have a vested interest in how they see and say things.  Yet few, if any, wrote about the eventual outcome.

It is disconcerting when you’re trying to follow up on ‘alarming’ small ship cruise news you’d dearly love to find out more about – especially if you’re already booked on one of these vessels’ future cruises!

Fear Mongering Requires No Talent

Clelia II ran into trouble at an inopportune time.  Crossing the infamously rough Drake Passage on its return to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina, a 40-foot wave broke across the bridge, smashing windows and knocking out its communications and electrical systems.  Check out the dramatic footage.

Fear-mongering isn’t restricted to journalists either.  Here are more examples, and – surprise! – from an attorney who specializes in maritime personal injury law.  Look at these ‘headlines’ :

• The Clelia II:  Another Antarctic Cruise Ship Skirts Disaster
• Another Near Disaster in Antarctica:  Polar Star Runs Aground

But no one has written anything about the eventual outcome!

The Polar Star broke into the news when its outer hull was breached on an uncharted rock.  The story first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.  It’s always great to get a jump on the competition, but the story proved to be both exaggerated – and erroneous.  The vessel didn’t run aground; the outer layer of the double hull was breached.  It didn’t happen in the Matha Strait; it occurred while anchoring just north of Detaille Island along the Antarctic Peninsula.

And has the Herald followed up on this story or printed a retraction?  Not bloody likely, mate!

Who Can You Trust These Days?

A lot of my source information, at least as far as Antarctic cruises go, comes from IAATO, a member organization that advocates safe and responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic.  They are proactive and responsive when generating press releases on behalf of their members.

Exploring Antarctica by Zodiac (Courtesy IAATO)

So where do they get their scoop?  In many instances, directly from their member travel companies, of course.  Now we both know that member cruise lines could easily ‘spin doctor’ a mishap to mitigate any embarrassment, lawsuits or financial losses.

But here’s why these travel companies won’t (or can’t afford to) ‘b.s.’ you and me.

Even though membership in IAATO is voluntary, it demands stringent qualifications.  In fact, any cruise line entering Antarctic waters has to abide by exacting requirements and inspections in terms of vessel safety, passenger safety, environmental safeguards, and as negligible a carbon footprint as possible.

A cruise line that attempts to down-play an accident in Antarctic waters won’t be welcomed back into the fold.  And like the Better Business Bureau, without membership in IAATO, there is just no credibility that can be sustained in the public eye.  The result?  Little or no business.

So What Did Happen After These Two Accidents?

Well, everyone on board the Clelia II, bedraggled and thankful, made it safely across the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia.  Did a fear monger tell me this?  No.  I had to find it buried on a blog comment:

Lee – December 8, 2010 6:07 PM

Having sailed on last December’s fateful voyage, I have to say that most all the passengers felt very safe on board the Clelia II. The crew and staff were fabulous and Clelia II’s sister ship accompanied us back to Ushuaia, so that if there was a problem, we would have been quickly transferred over.

Travel Dynamics couldn’t have been more helpful. Because of the New Year’s weekend, travel out of Ushuaia was next to impossible. They treated us all to great tours of Ushuaia, fed us, and put us up on the ship till we could get transportation to Buenos Aires. Once in B.A., they took care of our housing in a luxury hotel until we could get a flight home.

And what about those aboard the Polar Star?  They, too, made it back safely.  As a precautionary measure before crossing the Drake Passage, cruise staff  off-loaded all passengers at  King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, distributing them among three other cruise vessels who all returned to Ushuaia, like a flotilla.

As it turned out, everything went smoothly and Polar Star is now on her way to the Canary Islands to have the hull breach repaired in dry dock.

Happily ever after?  Not quite.  But at least you now have the complete story – not half-assed.

What do you think?  Do you agree or not?  Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions below.