(CNN) - An American woman died aboard a cruise ship that docked at Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, the same ship on which 86 passengers previously fell ill, according to the state-run Brazilian news agency, Agencia Brasil.
The American tourist died aboard the MS Veendam, owned by cruise operator Holland America. Federal Police told Agencia Brasil that forensic doctors were investigating her death.
The ship's doctors told police that the woman was elderly and suffered from diabetes and hypertension, according the agency.
The other passengers came down with diarrhea prior to her death during an earlier part of the trip, the ship's doctors said.
The Veendam left New York 36 days ago for a South America tour.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Witnesses say man jumped from Carnival Conquest
Galveston, Texas -- Carnival Cruise Lines said witnesses saw a man jump overboard during a cruise out of Galveston.
The Carnival Conquest returned to Galveston without one of its passengers Sunday.
Shortly after the ship left Cozumel, Mexico, on Friday, the cruise line said a 39 year old man jumped overboard.
"I was walking from deck 8 up to 9 to get a soda, and I could hear this awful screaming from one of the passengers on my floor," said Jonathan Wang, of Sugar Land.
He was on board the Conquest when the ship abruptly stopped about 6:30 p.m. Friday.
"The boat made a series of maneuvers and we immediately saw a few other boats in the area. Small boats that we could only assume were helping in the search," Wang said.
Carnival Cruise Lines said, "All appropriate authorities were notified and the ship returned to the location where the man was last seen to begin search and rescue operations. The Carnival Conquest was later released from the search while Mexican authorities continue the search and rescue efforts."
The cruise line also said the on board team assisted the missing man's family.
The Carnival Conquest left the Port of Galveston Sunday night on another 7 day cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico.
The Carnival Conquest returned to Galveston without one of its passengers Sunday.
Shortly after the ship left Cozumel, Mexico, on Friday, the cruise line said a 39 year old man jumped overboard.
"I was walking from deck 8 up to 9 to get a soda, and I could hear this awful screaming from one of the passengers on my floor," said Jonathan Wang, of Sugar Land.
He was on board the Conquest when the ship abruptly stopped about 6:30 p.m. Friday.
"The boat made a series of maneuvers and we immediately saw a few other boats in the area. Small boats that we could only assume were helping in the search," Wang said.
Carnival Cruise Lines said, "All appropriate authorities were notified and the ship returned to the location where the man was last seen to begin search and rescue operations. The Carnival Conquest was later released from the search while Mexican authorities continue the search and rescue efforts."
The cruise line also said the on board team assisted the missing man's family.
The Carnival Conquest left the Port of Galveston Sunday night on another 7 day cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Queen Mary 2 fails US Public Health Inspection
(CNN) -- Queen Mary 2, billed by its owners as "the most magnificent ocean liner ever built," isn't getting such rave reviews from government sanitation inspectors.
The ship was checked earlier this month as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program, which aims to prevent gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships.
During the visit on June 10, inspectors found a number of violations, including "extremely dirty" water and floor tiling in a splash pool; a human hair in an ice machine; and various chemicals stored near napkins, paper cups and utensils.
As a result, the ship received a score of 84. The government has two score classifications: Anything 86 or higher is "satisfactory," while scores of 85 or lower are considered "not satisfactory."
Failing grades for ships, especially the larger vessels, are extremely rare, according to CruiseCritic.com. There have been no failing scores since Albatross, a private ship, received a score of 69 in February 2010, the site reported.
The kind of violations found on board the Queen Mary 2 are unacceptable, especially the dirty pool water, said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.com.
"I've been chronicling the CDC scores for 14 years and this one is unusually bad," Brown said. "What really bothered me was the use of the word 'filthy' five times."
Cunard Line, which operates the Queen Mary 2, called the ship's most recent grade "an uncharacteristically low score." It stressed that on most previous inspections, the ship scored over 95 and achieved the maximum of 100 on three occasions.
"The poor assessment on 10 June resulted largely from one small area of the ship's overall operation. All the issues raised in the report were immediately addressed and have now been corrected," said Cunard spokeswoman Jackie Chase in a statement.
Ship and shore management have now "redefined certain roles and responsibilities" and the company's training schedule has been stepped up, Chase said.
"The Company is confident that failings of this nature will not occur again, and that the ship's VSP scores in future will return to the customary consistently high level."
So should you worry if you have a cruise coming up on the Queen Mary 2? Brown said you shouldn't have second thoughts.
The ship was checked earlier this month as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program, which aims to prevent gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships.
During the visit on June 10, inspectors found a number of violations, including "extremely dirty" water and floor tiling in a splash pool; a human hair in an ice machine; and various chemicals stored near napkins, paper cups and utensils.
As a result, the ship received a score of 84. The government has two score classifications: Anything 86 or higher is "satisfactory," while scores of 85 or lower are considered "not satisfactory."
Failing grades for ships, especially the larger vessels, are extremely rare, according to CruiseCritic.com. There have been no failing scores since Albatross, a private ship, received a score of 69 in February 2010, the site reported.
The kind of violations found on board the Queen Mary 2 are unacceptable, especially the dirty pool water, said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.com.
"I've been chronicling the CDC scores for 14 years and this one is unusually bad," Brown said. "What really bothered me was the use of the word 'filthy' five times."
Cunard Line, which operates the Queen Mary 2, called the ship's most recent grade "an uncharacteristically low score." It stressed that on most previous inspections, the ship scored over 95 and achieved the maximum of 100 on three occasions.
"The poor assessment on 10 June resulted largely from one small area of the ship's overall operation. All the issues raised in the report were immediately addressed and have now been corrected," said Cunard spokeswoman Jackie Chase in a statement.
Ship and shore management have now "redefined certain roles and responsibilities" and the company's training schedule has been stepped up, Chase said.
"The Company is confident that failings of this nature will not occur again, and that the ship's VSP scores in future will return to the customary consistently high level."
So should you worry if you have a cruise coming up on the Queen Mary 2? Brown said you shouldn't have second thoughts.
"I'm sure after this, it's probably the cleanest ship out there," she said.
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