I had the pleasure of meeting CruiseJunkie.com founder, cruise ship tourism expert and college professor Ross Klein at the International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Belize (October 2009). In the YouTube clip below, Ross speaks (via skype) with Ron Mader, editor of Planeta.com.

Ross was also cordial enough to respond to my followup inquiry:
“What are 5 things you didn’t know about cruise ship tourism before you began your research?”

“In answer to your question about what I didn’t know about the cruise industry before I began taking cruises and before I began research the industry, here’s a list of 5:

1. I didn’t realize there was as much contradiction between what cruise lines say they do environmentally and what they actually do — they have fancy slogans such as “Save the Waves,” “Planet Princess,” and “Seagoing Environmental Awareness” while at the same time discharging pollutants into the seas and air.

2. I didn’t know that cruise ship employees were so poorly paid, that they worked as many as 12 months straight without a day off, and that skin color is a factor in opportunities for advancement. I also didn’t know that Asians and Mexicans have different terms of employment than Europeans and Americans.

3. I didn’t know that sexual assaults and sexual harassment is rampant onboard cruise ships and that a woman (particularly a minor) is more likely to be sexually assaulted on a cruise ship than on land.

4. I didn’t know that cruise lines make most of their money from onboard revenue, including sale of shore excursions and shopping programs where stores pay cruise lines fees or commissions for sales to their passengers.

5. I didn’t know that advertising depicting luxury and gourmet food were inaccurate and misleading — a cruise ship is a hotel at sea and the mainstream cruise lines are akin to a three-star property but with lots more superficial glitz and trumped-up image.”

Thanks, Ross!

For more startling information on Cruise Tourism, please visit CruiseJunkie.com, which includes facts, stats and some startling images. Ross updates the site regularly and is a highly sought after expert on the topic.

As a visitor to other lands, it is important to understand the impacts of your travels. With resources like CruiseJunkie.com, we can see that destinations – and travelers alike – should do the research before we “get on board” with the cruise industry.