Brimble died of toxic levels of alcohol and gamma hydroxybutyrate - the date rape drug that she was allegedly given by men police describe as "persons of interest" in the 2002 death.

He said most of the Pacific Sky passengers would have been unaware that once the ship left Sydney and sailed into international waters the everyday protections they were used to would go missing.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that cruise ships don't have a specific public safety (security) team on duty at all times considering that a cruise ship with a 24-hour bar is essentially a college campus where anything goes. The difference, of course, is that on a college campus there were kindly old security fellows wandering around and whacking frat boys with batons when they got out of line.

The state Department of Transportation wants to know why a state ferry was taken off its route, cleaned and painted so officials could party aboard the boat during the recent tall ships festival.

The News and Observer reports that the ferry Floyd Lupton was used for a cruise for about 200 state and local officials.

Partying on the taxpayer's dime, eh? Wouldn't be the first time.

Apparently Israel's brazen assault on Lebanon hasn't hurt the cruise industry, though for some reason I doubt anyone will be heading down to Beirut for some pleasant tourism anytime soon.

The Middle East conflagration between Israeli soldiers and Islamic militants that only this week spread into Lebanon and Beirut -- a newly popular port of call for cruise lines that ply more exotic waters -- has caused only a few lines to change plans.

At this point, only Silversea Cruises' Silver Wind had expected to call at Beirut on Monday; the line has canceled the stop. A replacement port is not yet known. The Cyprus-based Louis Cruise Lines, the only other line impacted by the violence, has also diverted and will visit Rhodes instead.

Poor Middle East. You get no breaks, do you?

Join the MSC Musica on her inaugural Mediterranean season. These combination cruises bring history and culture alive. On board, our authentic Italian and International cuisine is complemented by our world-renowned on board hospitality.

There's also a day-to-day schedule in that link. Twenty-two nights for 3 G's is pretty amazing.

Oh goody, now we can get our gamble on whilst taking a cruise. I mean...we could do that before, but not quite like this:

PokerTek Inc. just took down a major pot: Carnival Cruises just signed a contract that will put the company's electronic tables in many of its cruise ships for the next three years. The tables, called PokerPro, are currently the company's highest-profile product. They allow for electronic dealing, one-touch betting and on-screen chip tallies., completely eliminating any need for a human dealer.

This article doesn't seem to be a fan of the whole cyborg-dealer aspect, but I like to think of the possibilities it could open up. If someone's cheating or sassing at the table, the cyborg can let fly with it's twin-gauss cannons! Anybody?

Yacht Cruises Overview

Why is yacht cruising so great?

What's different about yacht cruises and other cruises?

Do yacht cruises go to different places than other cruises?

Theme Cruises Overview

Why are Theme Cruises so popular?

What kinds of themes do Theme Cruises offer?

Are there any educational Theme Cruises?

Luxury Cruises Overview

Are luxury cruises suitable for children?

How much do luxury cruises cost?

Can I invest in a condo on a luxury cruise?

Cruise Activities Overview

What kinds of activities are available on cruises?

What sorts of cruise activities are available for children?

Are most cruise activities more vigorous or relaxing?

USA Today tells us why cruising on the Mediterranean is the greatest thing since sliced bread:

Mediterranean cruises are for travelers who want to get a taste of Europe without the hassles of traveling from country to country on land. Itineraries take the form of "If it's Tuesday, we must be in Venice" as each day guests wake up in a new port. If you want to spend lots of time in each city and experience European nightlife, a Mediterranean cruise is not for you. However, if you want to unpack once, have all the travel details handled for you and see as many places as you can in one week, you might want to book a cruise to the Continent.

They like to point out other hassles you'll avoid by actually setting foot on "the Continent" but they're too silly to mention. I mean, does a vacation entail that one be as lazy as humanly possible and has as many conveniences bodily delivered to your person as opposed to actually getting up and doing them yourself? Well...maybe it does. But come on, folks - get off your arse and go see the places you're visiting.

Celebrity Cruises on Thursday said it was canceling a cruise, which would reduce the earnings of its parent, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Celebrity, which is a unit of the world's No. 2 cruise company, said it is canceling a Sept. 13 cruise to Alaska on its ship Infinity to fix a propulsion problem.

I'm sure Screech and Deborah Unger, or whatever "celebrities" they wrangled into coming on this cruise are deeply disappointed.

More news on the Alaskan cruise ballot:

Alaska has the best seafood in the world and Ballot Measure 2 will help keep it that way by requiring cruise ships to meet and verify compliance with all Alaska pollution rules like every other industrial and municipal discharger. The cruise lines have been convicted of numerous felonies for purposefully dumping hazardous wastes, yet are the least regulated and monitored dischargers into our public waters.

The people have spoken.

Cruises always make for a great getaway, as they let you have a laidback and relaxed vacation. With an entire crew to service your every whim and need, a cruise is a fantastic way to enjoy yourself and take in the surrounding scenery. Galapagos Island Cruises are great because they not only let you have a stress-free vacation, but they also make sure that you get the opportunity to see all that this fascinating region has to offer.

Again, I'll just avoid making some really tasteless remarks about Hurricane Katrina. Suffice to say - the cruise industry is trying to get back on its feet there.

With Wednesday's announcement, LaGrange said three cruise lines will base four ships in New Orleans by fall 2007, a return to levels of operation before Hurricane Katrina struck last August.

Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Princess Cruise Lines also will begin sailing from New Orleans in the coming months.

While luxury cruises may not be one of the things that thrust New Orleans back into the economic limelight after that catastrophe, every little bit helps. I don't know how much of the city's port infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, but I'd guess most, if not all. This is a big step back in the right direction.

The Port of Galveston, which has seen explosive growth in the cruise-ship business, is now worried about a little-noticed federal requirement that people traveling by sea or air in the Western Hemisphere have a passport as soon as January.

The possibility of having to pay $100 for a passport instead of showing proof of citizenship for a short cruise to Mexico or the Caribbean that costs $500 could be a deal-breaker. "It becomes sort of cost-prohibitive for first-time cruisers," said Diane Falcioni, government-affairs manager for the port.

With all the hullabaloo over terrorism and the fiascos in air travel now, I'm surprised things like this aren't coming out more often. I expect Homeland Security to start pressuring cruise companies to police their ships in regards to "unwanted" passengers and passport inquiries.