Cruise ships getting safer, but room for improvement

Jason · January 14, 2014

Cruise ships have become a lot safer since the Costa Concordia crash two years ago, which killed 32 people. Federal laws designed to regulate the cruise industry have since taken effect. The laws cover everything from better evacuation training to where to stow life jackets.

There are several areas, however, that a government report finds are still lacking.

CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg told the hosts of "CBS This Morning" that cruise lines are still not effectively reporting crimes on the high seas -- sometimes not reporting them quickly enough, or disseminating the information properly. Greenberg explained: "Because in the old days, it got down to where the cruise ships were registered -- what foreign countries and which jurisdiction."

Greenberg said assaults, including sexual assaults, now must be reported by law. Meanwhile, other crimes, like theft, are often not being reported because the cruise ships are not obligated to do so.

"There's a dollar limit that is placed on that," Greenberg said. "Which is silly, if you think of the dollar limit -- $10,000. What about $5,000 thefts?"

Greenberg said passengers looking to book a cruise are entitled to this kind of information, and they are not getting it.

"How do you make an informed choice about what ship you want to go on?" he asked.

The question remains, Greenberg said, whether the government will step in to further regulate the cruise lines, or whether the cruise industry will be allowed to self regulate.

By Aliah Git, CBS News

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frostyboy64 · January 15, 2014

I like this topic. I have heard about people having bad cruises. Bags not showing up to cabins, stuff missing from cabins, rude guest and staff But I have never had a problem on any cruise other then bad weather.