chengkp75

So much wrong with that article, but I won't get into that. The "helpful bacteria" actually digest waste from the liquid waste water, just as your septic tank does, or your municipal waste water plant does. Once it goes through the aerobic "digester" tanks, then the remaining solids, which are primarily paper fibers (since the bacteria don't have as much time to digest wood fibers like your septic tank does) are indeed separated from the water, but the solid waste is allowed to be pumped overboard (it is more like a thick oatmeal consistency rather than solid), since the bacteria have removed all the harmful elements of the waste water (and the "helpful bacteria" remain in the digester tanks, not with the waste water flow to the separating devices). I know of no cruise ship that pumps their solid waste water residue ashore. It is legally allowed to be pumped overboard when more than 12 miles from land, except in a few restricted areas, and then it is held onboard until the ship is outside those areas. I've spent 46 years operating and maintaining shipboard waste water treatment plants.

I would say that the materials and technicians would be onboard in Hawaii at the latest (don't know the itinerary, so can't say if it could be before). After that, 1-2 days would see it fixed. While it is affecting a large area of the ship, it is caused by a failure at a central point for that large area. The entire fire zone (the area from the bottom to the top of the ship between two sets of fire doors), is fed electrically, for lighting, outlets, and ventilation, from one sub-station (think of it as the "breaker box" in your house), so one failure, like one breaker failing, could knock out power to the whole fire zone. Since it is likely one failure, the repair can be fairly simple.

I can say that with certainty, it will be repaired as quickly as possible. What folks don't realize is that the fire zone that is affected goes all the way down to the keel of the ship. So, the crew areas under the aft restaurant, most typically on ships like this would be galley, food prep, and provisions stores, including walk in freezers and coolers, will also be affected as far as lighting and ventilation are concerned. Taking out an entire fire zone on a ship is a major casualty, and they will fly in materials and specialists to make repairs a quickly as possible.

From RCI's FAQ section, winnings for a non-US citizen or resident alien, will only be reported to the IRS, if the winnings happen within US territorial waters. US citizens or Resident Aliens will have all winnings reported to IRS, regardless of where it happened.

Well aware of the relative incidence of noro in various locales. Noro is not as prevalent on cruise ships because the CDC considers it to be a significant threat. And, while the cruise ships clean, as you say, what the other poster was talking about is the passengers (who are not regulated by CDC for hand hygiene) touching utensils, and then another passenger touching those same utensils and becoming contaminated. I've been trained by the USPH/CDC in cruise ship sanitation, and I know where the transmission vectors are, and they are primarily in the buffet line, which is why the self-service is the first casualty of a noro remediation plan.

That would be like all the foreign crew on the ship having to report their income to the IRS. Just ain't gonna happen.

Ships have not been allowed to pump sewage overboard for 40 years. I don't know of any ship that pumps sewage to a barge, they all have treatment plants onboard that treat the sewage to legal limits and then pump it to sea. In fact, most cruise ships have advanced waste water treatment plants that treat all the waste water (black and gray water) to near drinking quality before discharging at sea.

Why would they care? This doesn't pass the smell test for me. The USPH/CDC are only tasked with controlling the introduction of disease into the US, so why would they care, or spend their budget, worrying about a ship that doesn't come to the US?

Was the water dripping from the same spot each time? That would be the only case where the ship couldn't "seem to solve the problem". If the pipes develop leaks at various locations, but it is fixed at that location, but pops up somewhere else, it is not that they can't fix the problem, but there is a continuing problem. To fix that problem is very costly and time consuming. NCL's Sky had to do this, renewing every foot of the miles of water piping on the ship. We had to block off one deck full of cabins each week, to allow for all the piping on that deck to be renewed.

"Sewer odors" are typically caused by a floor drain trap drying out due to dry AC air and little to no water getting into the drain to renew the trap water. If the smell is in your cabin bathroom, there is a floor drain (outside the shower), that handles overflows, so typically sees little water into it. Pour a glass of water down the drain (frequently found under the wall mounted toilet), and the smell will disappear in a couple of minutes. The same happens in public spaces, frequently when there are "mechanical lockers" around, that will also have drains for emergencies, but that don't see water flowing on a regular basis, and the trap dries out. When you notice it, tell the housekeeping crew, and they will do the same thing, just pour some water down the drain.

I agree with you, Paul. I've never heard of anything like this Sorry, Bruce, but this is not close to right. The US Navy has no jurisdiction over any civilian ship, regardless of what flag it flies, or what nationality passenger it carries. No, the USPH only claims jurisdiction over cruise ships, not "any" ship (CBP has sanitation officers that inspect foreign cargo ships). And, the USPH only has jurisdiction over ships coming into the US. Under a non-VSP regime, the cruise ship would be inspected every single time it enters the US. But, if the ship decides to adhere to the VSP, then the ship agrees to follow the VSP requirements throughout the voyage. As for a ship that does not call at any US port, the USPH has absolutely no jurisdiction over that ship, it falls under other agencies, like the EU ShipSan (regulated by the EU member nations), or the "Port State" using their own sanitation regime, or the WHO ship sanitation regime. No, that isn't even close to correct. Only if the casino winnings were made while the ship was in port, or in the country's territorial waters, would the port state have any jurisdiction. This is why the casino's on cruise ship are not regulated by anyone other than CLIA.

If this is a myth, why is noro so prevalent on cruise ships, as this is caused almost entirely by fecal/oral contamination, which is caused primarily by poor hand hygiene.

And, all sushi on cruise ships sailing from the US has the same requirement.

Here's the thing. Anything on the buffet line has only been there for 4 hours, after which it must be discarded, even condiments.

With the ships aging, after reaching the 15 year mark, you will not see the 2 week dry docks anymore, but the 4 week dockings will become the norm. It is just a fact of the inspections and testing required for older ships.

It's not so much the "modular" construction (and I assume you are referring to the cabins being modular, rather than hull segments), as the desire to have what are technically called "ceilings" (an aesthetic lining of the hull), but what most would call "walls" and "ceilings" (though a "ceiling" on land is an "overhead" on ship, but I digress). In the old days, the walls of ships' cabins were the steel bulkheads that made up the structure of the ship. In order to have better insulation (both sound and thermal), and to provide a more pleasing surface, cabins were then built using 1/2-3/4" thick panels with steel skins and insulation in the middle. These panels are screwed to support channels (much like the drywall and studs in your home) to provide the shape and strength needed. The overhead panels, in particular, are typically about 1 foot wide and 12 feet long, and interlock on the long edge with the previous panel installed, and then screwed at the opposite side into the channels. So, each panel is only hard mounted to a channel on one side, it relies on the previous panel to hold the other side in place. As the ship moves, and the structure flexes, these screws can start to come loose, and the panels will creak. To fix this, usually, just retightening the screws will stop the squeak, but sometimes it requires some rubber bits installed to stop panels moving when the screw holes have worn large.

CBP is worried about bringing an invasive species into the US. The USPH is worried about bringing something that could cause an illness onto the ship, and then possibly into the US. And, cruise lines that benefit from participating in the VSP (meaning that they do not need to have a full sanitation inspection every single time the ship enters the US), agree to abide by the VSP for the entire voyage, so any restrictions on bringing food onboard at a US port would be the same as food brought on in a foreign port, for cruises that call at US ports.

I haven't studied the EU's ShipSan program too closely, so can't answer for European cruises, but cruises that call at the US, and are under the USPH's VSP, all food brought onboard must be from "verifiable sources", meaning there is a paper trail of documentation from ingredients to preparation, to cooking, to packaging and storage.

Here's an article about the Mail Boat run: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/the-best-way-to-see-maines-casco-bay-islands-is-by-mail-boat

While that is about a mail boat up in Hancock County (which is where Bar Harbor is), what is being discussed is the Casco Bay Ferry Line "Mailboat Run", down in Portland. This has been a licensed mail carrier since the 1870's, and delivers not only mail and packages, but groceries, and propane tanks to islanders in Casco Bay as well. Islanders will shop for groceries on the mainland, then at checkout, they tell the cashier that it is an "island delivery", and the food is taken in back of the store, boxed up (usually one bag of groceries goes in each of a top or bottom of a banana box), refrigerated or frozen (shoppers usually provide coolers), and delivered to the ferry terminal in the afternoon, with the owner's name on the boxes. Each island's deliveries are palletized and wrapped, loaded on the boat, and delivered to the island dock. The owners then come down and claim their stuff and take it home. Some islands don't allow cars, so golf carts are the delivery haulers. Some islands do allow cars, and several families will frequently go in together to buy an old car that probably would not pass state inspection (too much rust, etc), and designate these as "island cars", which don't need inspections or license plates as long as they don't leave the island. Casco Bay Ferry also provides the transportation for middle and high school students from the islands to the schools on the mainland, both ways, morning and afternoon. I live in Portland, and one son worked for Casco Bay Ferries for a while, so if the OP has questions about the "run" or the islands, I can help.

Removal of large particles, like shells, can alter the composition of the beach sand, and therefore change the rates and patterns of erosion along beaches. As a previous poster said, removing one shell is one thing, thousands of people removing several shells each can cause a problem. Also, many species rely on shells from dead animals for their existence (anchoring points for plants, bird nests, hiding spots for small fish).

They, or the person who actually collects the shells, are licensed by the country as collectors of shells that are verified as dead when collected, and that they have sterilized the shells to ensure no biological remains are present.

Another factor is Carnival's need to reduce/eliminate single use plastic (the pods), as required by their environmental plan set by the court in their probation.

It is actually from the international convention CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

Anything that is left in the garbage in a plastic bag, unless it is readily identifiable, will be hand sorted by the crew to ensure that nothing goes to the wrong garbage stream.