I have seen first hand as both a passenger and as a island resident the lack of care put forth by the cruise line industry. They plan routes that chris-cross their own paths wasting thousands of gallons of diesel fuel simply because they have an agreement with OPEC?? They make fast stops at ports that have businesses that give percentages back to the cruise lines. This many times means many boats in one port of call at one time flooding the small towns and bays with thousands of people at one time. This serves NO-ONE but the cruise line. It creates a scene reminiscent of Miami. Packed crowded beaches, increased opportunity for crime, and a huge environmental impact on those beaches and islands. Cruises are full of hidden costs especially for the off boat excursions. By the second or third stop passengers are feeling squeezed by all the added costs from the over-priced drinks to the mandatory gratuities. Very few actually contribute significantly to the economies of the people in those port of calls. The countries make their money on the taxes charged to the cruise lines but how much of that actually makes it to natives is questionable. Most of the reefs around these high traffic ports have suffered dramatically. Cruise lines fail in the opportunity to educate their passengers. They don't teach or even tell people about the places they will be visiting. Never even giving them a heads up about the hazards that may exist. They purchase the absolute lowest grade foods available from bulk suppliers to cut their costs and just last week alone three different boats returned to Florida with cases of Norovirus. The cruise lines are actually very hard to even reach or contact directly. I ask why do these ships not work together to plan their routes so that the ports of call are more evenly distributed? Some see no boats for a week and then 5 in one day. Why don't they stay at these port of calls for multiple days actually giving their customers a chance to see and experience these places and stop the burning of literally thousands of gallons of fuel a day? Why do they not offer some basic safety classes in relation to the destination? Why do they continue to destroy the very oceans and reefs that they rely on for their own industry? You cannot even purchase reef safe sunscreen on board these boats. What will it take for the industry to take on some responsibility and start serving their customers and associates rather than just itself? The industry has now made a habit of hiring third world help simply because they will work for cheap and are easily repressed. Many never even being allowed out of the bowels of the boat. Is this industry of lies something we as a race should support? 
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