People love a good PR disaster. As if there were a bright red beacon attached to your brand, a company can find itself attracting unwanted attention faster than a blink of an eye. As of late, the cruise industry has been under this kind of extreme scrutiny following a rash of public relations nightmares across a number of cruise lines.

The industry reputation has gotten so bad that, when I told friends and relatives that I had a cruise booked in May, they visibly cringed and asked me if I regretted my choice of vacations.

To be honest, I wasn’t worried. The risk of an accident or mishap is just as likely – if not more so, on any alternative vacation I might consider. The difference in this case? Negative publicity.