THE SCOTTISH ADVENTURES OF A CRUISE SHIP ADDICT

Well, that was a bit of a shock...NOT! It was just a matter of time before someone was caught trying to smuggle drugs on a cruise ship. For those who have not heard the story. The BBC news reported yesterday that seven people had been taken into custody off the P&O cruise ship Arcadia after 30 kg of drugs were found strapped to their bodies.  The latest reports from the BBC say that four people have been charged, aged 19, 25, 26 and 41. How stupid could these supposed drugs carriers have been? The three younger people would have stood out on Arcadia like a sore thumb, especially if they were not related. The demographic of P&O line is 50+ and couples. The exception to this is the school holidays when a lot of children travel. Not on Arcadia though - she's a child-free ship. But I've travelled many times from Southampton and I have yet to see customs officers stop people coming from a cruise ship. I have a theory that sniffer dogs must have smelt the drugs on their cases...

This is a term I have come to dislike. It was made popular in 2004 when the Queen Mary 2 came into service. The reason: The QM2 is an ocean liner but she is also a cruise ship. But the media have now grasped this concept and every new ship seems to be a cruise liner. Let me tell you the different... An ocean liner is tends to do line voyages. That is going from one place to another on a distinct commercial voyage. A good example of this is the transatlantic route where a liner goes from Southampton to New York. Most ocean liners have a specially reinforced hull to cope with the bad weather because unless it is a REALLY big storm, they will not divert from their course, such as when the QE2 was hit by the 90ft wave. A cruise ship goes from A to B via C on a predestined route for the enjoyment of her passengers. Therefore she will avoid storms as it is not good for business if all her passengers are seasick! Also cruise ships tend to follow the sun. Most cruise ships are very well built ...