Cruise Itinerary Changes Following St. Kitts Robbery

Photo courtesy of Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park

In the wake of Sunday's brazen robbery at gunpoint of a bus full of Celebrity Mercury passengers on a St. Kitts shore excursion, at least two cruise lines have canceled calls on the island.   Carnival Miracle, scheduled to visit St. Kitts  headed to Antigua, and Princess Cruises' Grand Princess will make a similar detour on Wednesday.

Two masked gunmen on St. Kitts held up 17 passengers from Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Mercury who were on a ship-sponsored tour, called "Essential St. Kitts", that includes a sight-seeing drive of the city of Basseterre.  The tour was headed to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a popular tourist spot.

According to police reports, the gunmen blocked the road with a fallen tree which prompted the bus driver to exit the vehicle to clear the road.   When this was done, the band of robbers emerged from the  bushes and robbed the tourists at gunpoint before disappearing back into the woodlands.  The passengers' cash, jewelry, cameras and other valuables were taken and fortunately noone was injured in the incident.

Celebrity Cruises has cancelled the tour indefinitely and indicated that it will closely monitor the safety situation in St. Kitts, but has yet to cancel any calls at the island.  They released the following statement:


"We are thankful that none of our guests were injured in this unfortunate event, and will continue to provide them any support they may need.  A vacation is supposed to be filled with fun, rejuvenation and relaxation. An act of crime should not be part of any vacation, and we regret our guests had to experience those events."

St. Kitts-Nevis Observer was told by a police spokesperson, "this tour bus robbery is an unprecedented incident in St. Kitts, where visitor safety is of the highest priority. Last year, over (500,000) cruise passengers safely disembarked in St. Kitts...we deeply regret any type of incident that might tarnish our visitors' experience."

It is believed that the recent surge in violence in the Caribbean is linked to an increase in drug traffic. Much of the cocaine headed for the U.S. and European markets from South America transits the Caribbean.

Watch here for updates from the cruise lines in reaction to this incident.  

Celebrity Cruises Delays Mercury March 19 Sailing

Celebrity Mercury Itinerary Change

March 19th Departure Delayed

Due to an outbreak of a a gastrointestinal illness, thought to be a Norovirus, during the last sailing of Celebrity Mercury, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has advised Celebrity Cruises to perform extensive and thorough sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal at the Port of Charleston.  These measures are being taken to help prevent any illness from affecting the next sailing.

More information about Norovirus and its prevention is contained in the International Travel tab above which discusses travel documents, health and safety.  The CDC operates a Vessel Sanitation Program  for the prevention and control of the spread of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships.   While Noroviruses are most often reported in a cruise ship setting, they can occur in nursing homes, restaurants, catered events, hotels, as well as any small area where a number of people are gathered - not just on cruise ships.

The sad thing is, this illness CAN BE PREVENTED.  Cruise ships have taken extensive measures, especially since the start of the H1N1 outbreak last year, to increase the number of sanitizer containers throughout the ship.   I'm always amazed at how many people walk past the sanitizers without using them, or how many people don't WASH THEIR HANDS after going to the restroom.    This is how the disease is spread.

So, because of some careless people, the passengers on the next sailing of Celebrity Mercury are now impacted.    Regrettably, due to the extensive sanitation,  the itinerary for the March 19th sailing has been delayed two days.   The new itinerary is as follows:

Sunday, March 21 - Embarkation between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m

Monday; March 22 - sea day

Tuesday, March 23 -  Key West, Florida

Wednesday, March 24 - Cozumel, Mexico

Thursday, March 25 - Costa Maya, Mexico

Friday, March 26 - sea day

Saturday, March 27 - Nassau, Bahamas

Sunday, March 28 - sea day

Seating in the cruise terminal at the Port of Charleston is very limited. Therefore, Celebrity Cruises is asking that guests scheduled to depart on this sailing not arrive at the pier on Sunday before 4:00 p.m..   Celebrity apologizes for the inconvenience.