Tragedy in Alaska Highlights Gaps in Cruise Passenger Safety Protocols

In what should have been a routine excursion, the tragic death of 62-year-old Marites Buenafe, a Kentucky resident visiting Juneau, Alaska, lays bare significant shortcomings in the management and safety protocols surrounding cruise ship passengers on shore excursions.According to official reports from the Alaska Department of Public Safety, Ms. Buenafe disembarked from the Norwegian Bliss intending to hike near Gold Ridge but failed to return by the ship's scheduled departure. It was not until late Thursday that her body was recovered below the ridge line, discovered by an Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew in a joint operation involving Juneau...