Cruise Law News

30/07/2025

Over 100 Filipino crew members have been deported from cruise ships in U.S. ports by federal immigration and customs officers in the last few months. Accusations of possession of child po*******hy are often leveled without criminal charges being filed.

Notwithstanding such serious accusations, federal agents routinely refuse to provide due process to crew members or explain they have the right to remain silent and to speak only with a lawyer

If detained by CBP, ICE or other U.S. immigration or border agents, you have no obligation to consent to a search. You have no obligation to speak to a CBP or ICE agent. Assert your Miranda rights to remain silent. Request your right to speak to a lawyer and to the Filipino Consulate.

REMINDER TO ALL FILIPINO SEAFARERS BOUND FOR OR DOCKING AT U.S. PORTS, CRUISE SHIPS OR CARGO VESSELS

In response to several testimonies gathered from Filipino seafarers—especially those recently deported from cruise ships—a troubling trend has been identified. A significant number of these cases involved accusations related to allegedly pornographic content found on personal electronic devices. These instances reportedly led to detention and deportation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), often without formal charges or the benefit of due process.

Given the gravity of these developments, all Filipino seafarers—whether assigned to cruise ships, cargo vessels, or any type of maritime service—who are:

-Flying to the U.S., including those with layovers or connecting flights,

-Scheduled to join or disembark a vessel at any U.S. port, or

-Serving onboard vessels expected to call at any U.S. port or territory,

-are advised to take the following safety measures:

⚠️ SAFETY REMINDERS

REMOVE SENSITIVE OR INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT FROM YOUR DEVICES
-Do not store any pornographic, explicit, or suggestive material on your phones, laptops, or storage media—even if such content is not illegal in the Philippines.

-Delete videos, images, or files obtained from torrents, online platforms, or unknown sources that could raise suspicion during inspections.

AVOID MEDIA SHARING WITH OTHER CREW MEMBERS:
-Do not share videos or files via AirDrop, Bluetooth, USB, or messaging apps onboard the vessel or while in transit.

SCAN AND CLEAN YOUR DEVICES:
-Run an antivirus scan and check your devices for unsolicited downloads or pop-up ads. In some cases, inappropriate files may be unknowingly downloaded.

COOPERATE, BUT ASSERT YOUR RIGHTS
-Stay calm and courteous when approached by U.S. authorities.

-Respectfully ask for access to a lawyer or Philippine consular support if detained.

-Avoid signing any paperwork you don’t fully understand.

BRING A CLEAN TRAVEL DEVICE:
-If possible, use a spare phone or device strictly for travel. Leave your personal gadgets at home to reduce risk.

-Avoid bringing USB sticks, external drives, or memory cards that haven't been screened or are not essential.

REMOVE POTENTIALLY RISKY APPS:
-Uninstall apps that may lead to exposure or distribution of inappropriate content, including unregulated video platforms or adult streaming services.

__________________
Safety reminders aims to protect you from legal complications and ensure your safe transit through U.S. ports. Stay informed and prepared.

29/07/2025

The Carnival Dream investigation: (1) Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office releases name of deceased passenger . . . (2) after falsely saying that “there is no investigation about a suspicious death" . . . Carnival now comes up with a new and improved statement:

"It is standard practice for the FBI to review deaths that occur on cruise ships. This routine protocol ensures transparency. It does not automatically imply suspicious circumstances, and the facts of this matter do not suggest any such activity. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to our guest's family and loved ones in this difficult time."

The truth of the matter is that the FBI does not investigate routine deaths on cruise ships. It conducts investigations and issues statements only after it makes an initial determination that the death is suspicious..

The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man who died aboard a Galveston-based Carnival cruise ship.

28/07/2025

It took me three days to finally post the report of this cruise ship fatality which occurred last week. The difference between the last ship fatality which Carnival is pretending didn't occur, Royal Caribbean acting reasonably transparent in immediately admitting that a crew member was involved and attacked another ship employee before jumping overboard to his death.

Shame on Carnival by trying to bamboozle everyone.

Kudos to Royal Caribbean for its transparency (at least in this case).

RIP to the lost ones, and condolences to the family and friends of the deceased . . .

A crew member aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas stabbed a fellow crew member before jumping overboard to his death. The incident occurred on

27/07/2025

It seems that there is an investigation into a death aboard the Carnival Dream which Carnival seems to deny in about the most poorly PR statement I have ever seen to the press;

Take a look at this from Carnival:

“There is no investigation about a suspicious death on Carnival Dream and it’s disappointing to learn that any guests might be spreading rumors about something they know nothing about.”

What information does anyone know about this? (We promise to keep the identity anonymous if you are concerned about retaliation from Carnival.)

Passengers tell us they woke to sirens.

25/07/2025

There are reports that a crew member went overboard yesterday from Royal Caribbean's Icon of The Seas. Do any passengers or crew members on the ship care to explain exactly what happened? (Job title, age, nationality, length of employment with RCCL, explanaion what occurred?) We promise to keep your identity 100% anonymous.

MIAMI (WSVN) - A crew member of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has died after going overboard, officials said.A man overboard call went off aboardRead...

25/07/2025

The Bermuda Police Service said (four) Carnival Cruise Lines passengers were arrested after officials on the ship allegedly discovered they were in possession of "a significant quantity of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia."

"A detective in Bermuda said "Carfentanyl is about 100 times stronger than fentanyl and was originally used to sedate large animals like elephants. Even tiny amounts can be deadly."

Definitely not your usual story of a Carnival guest from Texas drinking 15 Jack Daniels & Coke and getting into a bar fight on the pool deck.

Four U.S. cruise ship passengers were arrested in Bermuda after allegedly being caught with drugs powerful enough to sedate an elephant.

22/07/2025

Readers of this blog should be well aware of my strong belief that crew members and cruise ship passengers who possess or transmit child po*******hy should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. With that said, I also believe in the U.S. Constitution and the rights and protections afforded thereunder, including the right to counsel, Miranda rights, due process, and equal protection of the law. I am greatly troubled by what appears to be the lawless activities of U.S. federal customs and immigration officers who have engaged in mass deportations of unrepresented Filipino crew members based on unsubstantiated accusations.

Multiple news sources are reporting that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently deported at least 18 Filipino crew members from the Carnival

17/07/2025

A fire broke out two mornings ago on a Princess cruise ship (the Island Princess), a day after the vessel departed from New York City. Today, Travel and Tour World (TTW) published an article, with no credit to a reporter. The article appears to be written entirely by artificial intelligence (AI):

"The fire started in the Bermuda-registered ship’s galley on deck 12, and it prompted fear among passengers and crew as the flames began to spread. When that happens, the captain needs to quickly act and communicate, which this dude did, and everyone on that ship survived.

As a result the ship’s crew sounded general alarm and mustered all passengers at their muster station. The crew subsequently fought the fire, and before long the captain reported that the fire had been put out. The passengers were told that the source of the explosion was subdued but they were not out of the woods yet.

Fortunately, despite the freighter appearing to strike the cruise ship very hard no passengers were injured and minimal damage was made to the larger vessel, the cruise line said passengers were calmed and kept informed during the ordeal . . ."

Ugh!

Most troubling is this dreadfully written article contains a large clearly AI-generated image which shows flames erupting and smoke billowing from a ship as a team of imaginary land-based firemen stand at a dock ready to fight what appears to be a raging fire.

15/07/2025

U.S. Customs & Border Protection Detain and Deport Nine Crew Members From Victory Cruise Ships, Claiming Possession of Child Po*******hy.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently detained and deported crew members from a cruise ship operated by Victory Cruise Lines. I was first contacted

23/06/2025

Bizarre story involving a 14-year old girl, a 71-year old retired cop and a pair of tweezers on a Carnival Cruise Line ship . . .

A 71-year-old man has been criminally charged after he assaulted a teenage girl onboard a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Queensland. Australian