Millions of Americans go on cruises every year. Most of the time they have a nice trip and they return home safely, just like the cruise companies promise in their advertisements. But once in a while things can go terribly wrong. Ships catch fire, passengers fall overboard or get sick, crew members sexually assault passengers. Incidents like these are also a part of the cruise experience. In spite of the evidence that crimes, fires, mechanical failures, drownings, and mishandled medical emergencies occur with disturbing regularity on cruise ships, the industry continues to deny that it has a problem, any problem. It has circled the wagons and reflexively fought all efforts to provide consumers more information about the risks of cruise ship vacations.