In response to last month’s capsizing of Costa Concordia just hours into her January 13 cruise, before passengers had been put through the mandatory lifeboat drill, the global cruise industry has adopted a new, across-the-board muster policy. Effective immediately, cruise ships will now conduct their muster drills prior to departure from their home port.

The new policy follows an industry-wide Operational Safety Review conducted in response to the Concordia disaster.

Passengers who arrive after the muster has been completed will be “promptly provided with individual or group safety briefings that meet the requirements for musters applicable under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)" — i.e., their briefings will be provided within 24 hours of embarkation, as was the case for muster drills in general until today.

The mandate covers all member cruise lines of the three major industry associations, the Cruise Lines International Association, the European Cruise Council, and the Passenger Shipping Association, namely: AIDA Cruises, All Leisure Holidays, AMA Waterways, American Cruise Lines, Andrew Weir Shipping Co./St. Helena Line, APT Group, Avalon Waterways, Azamara Club Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Compagnie du Ponant, Costa Cruises, Croisieres de France, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Hebridean Island Cruises, Holland America Line, Hurtigruten, Iberocruceros, Louis Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Pearl Seas Cruises, P&O Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Princess Cruises, Pullmantur, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Saga, Seabourn Cruise Line, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Star Clippers, Swan Hellenic, TUI Cruises, Uniworld, Voyages of Discovery, and Windstar Cruises.

A copy of the industry’s new muster policy can be viewed here.

Lest you haven’t heard enough about the capsizing of the Costa Concordia last month (a tragedy that left at least 17 people dead, with a further 15 still missing and presumed lost), National Geographic Channel will be airing a hastily prepared documentary this coming weekend.

Italian Cruise Ship Disaster: The Untold Stories premieres this Sunday, February 12, and will be shown again on Monday, February 13. According to the press materials I got today, the one-hour special “weaves together in-depth stories from passengers and staff on board as well as Coast Guard rescuers with stunning home video (some never before seen on U.S. television) and CGI to reconstruct the sinking of the Costa Concordia as it happened.”

Oh, but there’s more:

Hear the panicked stories as passengers and crew describe the scramble to get on to the last remaining lifeboats, jumping off and swimming frantically to shore, those waiting for helicopter rescue, the Coast Guard's search for survivors, and the outrage over the captain's abandoning ship. . . . We'll uncover the decisions that cost lives and the heroes who saved them.

Uh-huh. While there are still bodies in the water. Very classy . . .

This one’s fun: Right now, if you were to go down into the subway in New York and hop the S shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, your train would look like this:

One of the early salvos in the line’s new “The Sea Is Calling. Answer It Royally” ad campaign, the wrap job includes decorations to the insides of the cars as well as the outsides: One car is wrapped like an onboard theater, featuring marquees of the Broadway shows Chicago, Hairspray, and Saturday Night Fever, which are performed, respectively, aboard Royal’s Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Liberty of the Seas. Another is wrapped like an onboard spa, with bamboo, a masseuse, and a fluffy bathrobe hanging beside a tiled spa shower. Another is an open deck, with views of the sea and a Flowrider surfing simulator, with surfer.

Commuters on the trains “will be treated to special surprises during the month,” says Royal Caribbean, which is also encouraging said commuters to snap pictures of the ads and share them on social media — ‘cause hey, it’s free advertising. It’s good for me, too, because it allows me to add a link here to a whole album of pictures without having to worry about copyright infringement.

There is, of course, a snarky side to all this: The S train is the shortest subway ride in New York, running only eight tenths of a mile and taking all of a minute, door to door. It just goes back and forth, over and over, week in and week out, all year long, visiting the same stations — much like many of the itineraries offered by today’s megaships.

Oh c’mon, you know I’m just kidding around. ;-)

Yes, it’s just my personal taste talking here. And yes, I know a lot of people just looooove the guy’s music. But, y’know: gag.

And here’s the news: Earlier this week, Oceania Cruises announced that its new, 1,250-passenger Riviera, due to hit the seas this May, will feature a new show called Now and Forever — The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Yah: Music from Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar — as if those songs don’t get enough play in the average shipboard production show.

Luckily, Riviera will have three other shows too, some of which seem marginally more interesting: Up in Flames, built around the music of Elton John and Billy Joel; The Dawning of Aquarius (where'd “the Age of” go?), a 60s revue; and Rock On, “a love story with a rock-and-roll vibe.”

I think I’ll just stay in my cabin and watch TV. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Do you, like me, get the feeling that most of the reporters covering the Costa Concordia disaster have never been on a modern mainstream ship? And that they're painting their pictures of onboard life based on, oh, I dunno, the Titanic movie?

As an example, this today from the Associated Press:

"The Costa Concordia was essentially a floating luxury hotel and many of the passengers embarked on the ill-fated cruise with their finest clothes and jewels so they could parade them in casinos and at gala dinners beneath towering chandeliered ceilings."

Leaving aside the author's past-tense reference to Concordia (does he/she have money on the ship being scrapped instead of refloated?), my main comment is, "Huh?" Luxury hotel? Finest jewels? Gala dinners? Towering chandeliered ceilings? This is a Costa ship we're talking about here, one of the most mainstream of the mainstream, Carnival with an Italian accent, less John Jacob Astor and more, oh, Charo. (Apologies to Princess!)

This and similar comments lead me to one conclusion: Despite the fact that the Concordia grounding was a real disaster, where lives were lost and psyches scarred due apparently to pure and simple hubris, the only reason it's gotten as much press as it has is because it's what the old news guys would call "a murder at a good address" — or, put another way, it's the maritime equivalent of a missing white girl.

And I can prove it. How many of you remember the M/V Bulgaria? Or the M/V Rabaul Queen? The former was a Volga River boat that sank during a storm last July in Russia's central republic of Tatarstan, taking the lives of 122 people. Rabaul Queen sank today off the east coast of Papua New Guinea, with a reported 362 people on board. As of this writing, only 238 of that number had been rescued.

We seem, as a species, obsessively drawn to the death of marvelous things, "ill-fated" voyages that doom beautiful people and beautiful things to a watery grave. The passengers aboard Concordia fit that bill, from a media perspective, because of the longstanding and well-understood cliché of "luxury liners" floating on a sea of champagne, the stars in the sky matching the diamonds and sequins adorning the beautiful people on board. Had Concordia's passengers been simply commuting students and workers — as seems to have been the case with the Rabaul Queen victims — would the world media have devoted quite as much ink to the story? The Google hits tell the tale:

"Costa Concordia" sinking: about 6,620,000 results

"M/V Bulgaria" sinking: about 2,380 results

Note 1: Again, don't read this as my attempting to diminish the Concordia disaster. It was a terrible thing that took a high toll for no good reason.

Note 2: Despite my poking fun at the Associated Press's purple prose above, it's actually an interesting article, discussing the potential for freelance salvagers to begin descending on the ship once all the victims are recovered. "The Mafia," says the article, "even has underwater teams that specialize in going after sunken booty."

As noted here a couple weeks back, Norwegian Cruise Line has plans to completely re-make its childrens' and teens' programs, with an initial introduction aboard Norwegian Gem scheduled for mid-February and a rollout across the NCL fleet planned thereafter.

But what’re the new programs called? I wondered at the time, and now I know: They don’t know either.

But maybe you do: Just today, NCL opened voting on its “Up2YOU” naming contest, inviting the general public to submit names for its new kids’ and teens’ programs, along with names for each of the new age groups within those programs: 3–5, 6–8, 9–12, and two teen groups: 13–14 and 15–17.

The contest runs from today through February 13, 2012. Participants who come up with the winning program names (one winner for the kids’ program, one for the teens’ program) will get a 7-day Caribbean cruise for a family of four. Those who submit the winning names for the six age groups will each get a $100 American Express gift card.

“We want to ensure that we have the best youth programs at sea for the more than 150,000 children and teens that sail with us each year,” said NCL CEO Kevin Sheehan. “In the spirit of Freestyle Cruising, we thought that the parents and kids who utilize the programs would be the best to suggest names for them. We are looking for lots of originality and creativity along with names that really speak to today’s kids and teens.”

To enter, go to the contest entry page at NCL’s website and make your suggestions.

Created in conjunction with the UK-based King’s Foundation and King’s Camps, the new, as-yet-nameless programs will put more emphasis on sporting activities, arts and crafts, theater, and technology, and will include themed days such as “circus day,” “theater day,” “sports day,” and “port of call day.” For circus programming, NCL has engaged New York–based Cirque Du Jour to create circus workshops and shows for kids and families. The kids’ program will also expand out beyond the confines of the kids’ center, with activities — including parades and scavenger hunts — programmed at the ships’ sports courts, rock walls, theaters, lounges, and other public spaces. The ratio of staff to kids will also be upped, and new hiring criteria will be put in place, including the requirement of a college degree in recreation or child care (or the equivalent experience).

We’re a full-spectrum cruise blog here at Frommers.com, covering everything from the biggest megaships to the most traditional midsize vessels, the swankiest luxe ships, and the smallest of small-ship and sailing cruises. And in that latter regard, there’s this:

Early-booking discounts for sailings on the Maine Windjammer schooner J&E Riggin end today. Riggin is a 24-passenger former oystering boat built in 1927 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991, and the discounts range from 5% for first-time passengers to 10% for returning passengers — not a huge sum, but better than a poke in the eye, especially if you were already considering going.

Two and a half weeks after the greatest cruise ship disaster in a decade, the rescue phase has shifted to recovery and cleanup, with Costa Concordia still lying on her side just off the coast of Isola del Giglio, Italy. Here are some recent developments:

• Search teams recovered another body on Saturday, Jan. 28, bringing the death toll to 17. A further 16 passengers are still listed as missing.
• According to Italy’s Dipartimento Protezione Civile (Civil Protection Agency), reconnaissance by divers from the Dutch salvage company SMIT and the Livorno-based NERI Group has begun, and that “as soon as this phase will be completed, tankers can be perforated to start the oil removal.” Removal of the vessel’s fuel is currently the most pressing concern, as leakage could pose an environmental disaster.
• According to Bloomberg Businessweek, it could take up to 10 months to remove the wreck, either by refloating her or by cutting her up in place and hauling her away piece by piece. The same article puts the likely insurance impact of the disaster at around $1 billion.
• Costa and owners Carnival Corporation have hammered out a compensation agreement with various travel consumer groups by which they would pay 11,000 Euro (about $14,500) to each uninjured passenger who was aboard the ship when she wrecked, plus reimbursement of any related medical expenses, reimbursement for the cost of the cruise and any related travel, and reimbursement of expenses incurred on board during the cruise. According to an article Friday on the Daily Beast, an alternative option — mass, massive lawsuits against Costa and Carnival Corp. — are looking very attractive to some people.
• And speaking of lawsuits, the trade publication Insurance Journal is reporting that personal injury lawyers are coming out of the woodwork for this one. Were you or someone you love recently injured in a deadly cruise ship accident? A personal injury lawyer at our law firm is standing by to help . . .
• It’s not only Concordia’s passengers who are contemplating recourse to the courts. According to the UK-based Telegraph, residents of Isola del Giglio are also eyeing lawsuits, worried that the long-term presence of a giant, deadly wreck off the coast of their tourism-reliant island will scare away visitors, or at least the good kind of visitors. “With this watery grave in the middle of the sea, people won't want to come,” the article quotes local hotel owner Paolo Fanciulli as saying. “It's only for those with an interest in the macabre — the day trippers who already flock here by ferry at the weekend.”

With its fleet about to expand to four vessels (following next month’s debut of Disney Fantasy), Disney Cruise Line has just announced a range of new itineraries for 2013, including an expanded portfolio of European itineraries and ports. Check ’em out:

Mediterranean from Barcelona

Beginning June 1, 2013, Disney Magic begins her European season with several new options, all departing from Barcelona:

• 4-night Mediterranean getaway: visiting Villefranche/Nice (France) and Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Departure dates July 9, August 6. Rates start at $796 per person.
• 7-night Mediterranean: visiting Villefranche/Nice (France) and Naples, La Spezia/Florence, and Civitavecchia/Rome (Italy). Departure dates June 1 and 8 and August 10, 17, 24, and 31. Rates start at $1,015 per person
• 12-night Mediterranean with Greece: visiting Villefranche/Nice (France), La Spezia/Florence and Civitavecchia/Rome (Italy), Piraeus/Athens and Mykonos (Greece), Kusadasi/Ephesus (Turkey), and Valetta (Malta). Departure dates June 15, July 13. Rates start at $2,244 per person.
• 12-night Mediterranean with Venice: Villefranche/Nice (France), Naples, La Spezia/Florence, Civitavecchia/Rome, and Venice (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Valetta (Malta). In Venice, Magic will overnight in port. Departure dates June 27, July 25. Rates start at $2,244 per person.

Bahamas and Western Caribbean from Miami

Beginning December 23, 2012, Disney Cruise Line will operate from the port of Miami for the first time, offering a handful of 6- and 7-night Caribbean sailings followed by a season of 4- and 5-night Bahamas and Western Caribbean sailings, all aboard Disney Wonder. Rates for the 4- and 5-night cruises start at $440 per person.

• 5-night Caribbean: visiting Cozumel (Mexico) and Castaway Cay (private island, Bahamas). Departure dates January 5 and 19; February 2 and 16; March 2, 16, and 30; and April 13 and 27.
• 5-night Caribbean: visiting Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Departure dates January 14 and 28, February 11 and 25, March 11 and 25, and April 8 and 22.
• 4-night Bahamas: visiting Nassau (Bahamas), Key West, and Castaway Cay. Departure dates January 10 and 24, February 7 and 21, March 7 and 21, April 4 and 18, and May 2.

Western Caribbean from Galveston

Disney Magic, which will begin sailing from Texas in 2012, will continue to sail from the Port of Galveston through May 2013.

• 6-night Caribbean: visiting Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Departure dates January 12 and 26, February 9 and 23, March 9 and 23, April 6 and 20, and May 4. Rates start at $750 per person.
• 8-night Caribbean: visiting Costa Maya (Mexico), Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. Departure dates January 4 and 18; February 1 and 15; March 1, 15, and 29; April 12 and 26; and May 10. Rates start at $920 per person.

Alaska from Vancouver

Beginning May 27, 2013, Disney Wonder will begin her third Alaska season, returning to her home port in Vancouver (after sailing from Seattle in summer 2012) and visiting Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Departure dates May 27; June 3, 10, 17, and 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29; August 5, 12, 19, and 26; and September 2. Rates start at $1,015 per person.

Caribbean & Bahamas from Port Canaveral

Per Disney Cruise Line’s MO since its earliest days, it will also be sailing Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream, its two newest ships, from Port Canaveral, Florida, on a variety of Caribbean and Bahamas cruises, many paired with a visit to Disney World in nearby Orlando.

• 7-night Caribbean: Disney Fantasy will alternate eastern (visiting St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay) and western (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay) Caribbean sailings throughout the year. Special eastern Caribbean sailings, January through April 2013, will stop at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rates start at $1,085 per person.
• 3-, 4-, and 5-night Bahamas: Disney Dream will sail three-, four- and five-night cruises visiting the Bahamas and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. Rates start at $450 per person.

Bookings for these 2013 cruises open today, January 26, 2012.

Today, Oceania Cruises announced that the debut of its new, 1,250-passenger Riviera (sister ship to 2011’s Marina) will be delayed by three weeks due to protests and strikes at Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri’s shipyard near Genoa.

The ship’s maiden voyage — a 10-day “Pearls of the Aegean” cruise that includes an overnight aboard ship in Venice before visiting Dubrovnik, Kotor, Corfu, Monemvasia, Crete, Santorini, Kusadasi, Delos, Mykonos, and Athens — will now take place on May 16 rather than April 24. Guests booked on affected sailings have the option of rebooking another cruise and receiving a future cruise credit of $250 to $1,000 per guest (depending on stateroom category) or taking a full refund.

“We regret that labor strikes have caused this delay,” said Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono in a media statement. “All of us at Fincantieri are committed to producing a superior quality ship and we will deliver a truly magnificent vessel to Oceania Cruises without further delays.”

Labor disruptions at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard, led by metalworkers' union Federazione Impiegati Operai Metallurgivi (FIOM), have flared in opposition to a December agreement between state-owned Fincantieri and two other trade unions. That agreement included plans for temporary layoffs and a gradual reduction of the workforce. In response, workers at Sestri Ponente have mounted strikes, occupied Genoa’s airport, and taken their protests into the city’s streets. Workers at the company’s facility in Palermo, Sicily, which handles ship repairs and conversions, have also mounted strikes and protests.