Environmentalists' Delight

Like so many who cruise, and know that cruise lines have come a long way from the bad old days when environmental issues were of little concern, to today when they are model corporate citizens in many environmental categories (though the press often only refers to past transgressions), I get discouraged when yet another biased piece comes out about cruising being harmful to the environment. Today, however, was a good day for migrating Baja whales... though a bit rough on some passengers.

This is whale watching season along the Baja Peninsula, as the whales migrate from their Alaska summer feeding grounds to southern climes for birthing their young. NCL's Norwegian Star had a sighting, but the whales were so close to the ship that more dramatic steering than normal was necessary to avoid colliding with and potentially injuring the whales. After a series of maneuvers which caused some dramatic rolling of the ship (maximum roll reported of 10 degrees, which is significant), along with water sloshing from the swimming pool, breakage of some dinnerware and such, and a handful of minor injuries, the line is happy to announce that the whales went on their merry way with no ill effects. And the passengers have a story to tell which, I'm sure, will be amplified many times on the various message boards.