Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I read that Holland America decided to kick everyone off a world cruise that was over 70 years old in Australia leaving them stranded to get home.
I also understand there were quite a few in the group amongst the passengers.
On a Holland America cruise that would mean just about everybody. They have the oldest demographic in the cruise industry.
Meanwhile, I believe this cruise is actually being terminated.
Not sure how easy it is to get a flight out of Sydney now. Our borders are closed to incoming non-residents/citizens. Qantas international is grounded from, I think, today. The German/Australian governments had to jointly organise charter flights to get healthy people out of Perth from a German cruise ship.
I would be thinking that charters would need to be organised by HA. Sydney would be doing all possible to avoid any more ships docking as they have caused a major source of infections.
At this stage if anyone disembarks from a cruise ship in Perth they have fourteen days quarantine on Rottnest Island. Then if they move to Sydney there's another fourteen days quarantine.
Not sure how easy it is to get a flight out of Sydney now. Our borders are closed to incoming non-residents/citizens. Qantas international is grounded from, I think, today. The German/Australian governments had to jointly organise charter flights to get healthy people out of Perth from a German cruise ship.
I would be thinking that charters would need to be organised by HA. Sydney would be doing all possible to avoid any more ships docking as they have caused a major source of infections.
At this stage if anyone disembarks from a cruise ship in Perth they have fourteen days quarantine on Rottnest Island. Then if they move to Sydney there's another fourteen days quarantine.
Well, the story was from a week ago. So.. As we've all seen, things can change ALOT in a week.
I pulled up expedia and that's where I saw the flights from Sydney to FLL. Did I actually try to BOOK any of them? No.. So, can't say they're actually available.
Well.. I certainly hope that no cruise lines have brought back 'walking the plank' and are kicking people off BEFORE they get back to a port. When the hell else would they remove them from the ship?
I can understand the situation and having to end the cruise, but.. According to that article, passengers, other than a small number who may be unable to fly for whatever reason, are being left to their own devices for finding a way home.
Cruise line should be assisting ALL passengers with that.
Will be interesting to see what kind of reimbursement is offered to the passengers. Not only for the cruise, but for being forced to purchase flights home. especially flights from Perth, Australia. I mean, is there a more remote place they could have left them?
And.. Holy crap. Flights. Just looked it up.. Perth to FLL.. $3500
Now, I'm guessing someone who buys a 4 month cruise likely isn't blinking too hard at those prices for flights.. but damn. And, of course, this being a week old.. Prices could have been far different then.
Sydney to FLL can be had for under $1000.. You'd think.. Hey.. We're going to inconvenience these people, let's do it as gently as we can.. Another 2-3 days they could have gotten them to Sydney.. Of course, assuming the Aussie government was cool with it.
It's going to be mighty interesting to see when these cruise lines come to the government with their hands out. While many of the corporations are based in the US, the ships are flying other countries' flags.. So... Should they qualify for any 'bailouts'?
I had sympathy for Carnival's and other cruise industry companies until I decided to look up what they were paying in taxes and what they should anticipate in return in their time of need....
No Taxes – The Cruise Lines’ Dirty Little Secret
^Carnival was created by Ted Arison. Senior Arison collected billions of dollars from tax paying U.S. passengers and lived the good life in Miami. But he registered his Miami-based cruise line and his cruise ships in Panama to avoid U.S. taxes. In 1990, he abandoned Miami, denounced his U.S. citizenship, and returned to Israel with his billions in a ploy to avoid estate and inheritance taxes.
I had sympathy for Carnival's and other cruise industry companies until I decided to look up what they were paying in taxes and what they should anticipate in return in their time of need....
No Taxes – The Cruise Lines’ Dirty Little Secret
^Carnival was created by Ted Arison. Senior Arison collected billions of dollars from tax paying U.S. passengers and lived the good life in Miami. But he registered his Miami-based cruise line and his cruise ships in Panama to avoid U.S. taxes. In 1990, he abandoned Miami, denounced his U.S. citizenship, and returned to Israel with his billions in a ploy to avoid estate and inheritance taxes.
I wouldn't define that site as unbiased. They are a law firm that exists because they sue cruise companies.
That said, yes ONE of the reasons ships are registered on foreign countries is to avoid taxes. But avoiding US labor laws probably has more to do with it.
I had sympathy for Carnival's and other cruise industry companies until I decided to look up what they were paying in taxes and what they should anticipate in return in their time of need....
No Taxes – The Cruise Lines’ Dirty Little Secret
^Carnival was created by Ted Arison. Senior Arison collected billions of dollars from tax paying U.S. passengers and lived the good life in Miami. But he registered his Miami-based cruise line and his cruise ships in Panama to avoid U.S. taxes. In 1990, he abandoned Miami, denounced his U.S. citizenship, and returned to Israel with his billions in a ploy to avoid estate and inheritance taxes.
I don't think that's overall a secret.. It's just something that people conveniently ignore.
Anyone who has gotten on a cruise sees that much of the staff is foreign, and knows (or should know) that they're being paid very, very low wages, living in fairly poor conditions and basically, they're perpetuating it.
But.. $600 for a 5 night Caribbean cruise? Even pro-union people think.. Well, those folks are making better money than they would in their home countries.
I wouldn't define that site as unbiased. They are a law firm that exists because they sue cruise companies.
That said, yes ONE of the reasons ships are registered on foreign countries is to avoid taxes. But avoiding US labor laws probably has more to do with it.
If they are not registered here and enjoyed tax free income, let them pay of it themselves. Or ask their registered home country Panama for help.
"Sick People Held Against their Will" will be the next headline by Ken. This would reference the Diamond Princess in Japan. I guess the newspaper motto of "If it bleeds, it leads" applies here too.
I read that Holland America decided to kick everyone off a world cruise that was over 70 years old in Australia leaving them stranded to get home.
I also understand there were quite a few in the group amongst the passengers.
If Holland America kicked off everyone 70 and older, their ships would be about empty.
We did a repositioning cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Italy, and the average age was 85. We're 70 years old, and one of the youngest couples on the entire cruise. One 85 year old even took "Daddy" with them--in diapers and in a wheelchair.
Funniest thing was saw was a travel group who had black T shirts with "The Wild Things" lettered on it. Yep, they were something, all right.
H/A's newest ship was really fine. The demographics just don't suit us.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They have the oldest demographic in the cruise industry.
