From the "You Can't Make This Shit Up" Dept

[Spacefender]

World's newest cruise line gets underway.

But will Kim Jong Il be signing autographs?

The passengers stared at the buses waiting to take them back to China. “One trip is enough for a lifetime,” someone said. The ship slowly approached the dock.

I think that about says it all.

 

[Karen Kraft]

To find your nearest Mission Pak store,
PHONE, Adams 2-4184 ...

... now.​

 

[Karen Kraft]

To find your nearest Mission Pak store,
PHONE, Adams 2-4184 ...

... now.​

"Say the Magic words, say 'Mission Pak' and it's on its merry way! No gift so bright, so gay, so right, give the Mission Pak magic way!"​

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

"Don't ever mention Kim Jong-un's name," whispered a source, glancing over his shoulder to check the conversation wasn't being overheard.
"You'll get in very big trouble, it's just not talked about.
(The advice was delivered to a Reuters correspondent during a state-sanctioned visit to the far north, the first such escorted trip to that part of the country in living memory.)

Entering into a discussion about succession in North Korea is tantamount to accepting the mortality of the state's current leader Kim Jong-il who, like his father before him, is worshipped like a god by his people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/03/insight-talk-of-successi_n_948160.html

Is there a list of things that you should not talk about when on the cruise?

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Let us hope there is no miscommunication with the battleships-

"Desperate for foreign currency, officials in secretive North Korea are trying to lure tourists to holiday cruises along the length of the impoverished country's east coast. Earlier this month, a trial run by the rusty Mangyongbong was completed in 43 trying hours at sea. More than 200 people were packed into dim and musty cabins, sometimes eight to a room with floor mattresses. Chinese tourists and businesspeople shared quarters with North Korean officials and foreign journalists."

The return trip took 22 hours. After a lunch of instant noodles, the harbor at Rajin loomed in the distance. "We admit that we have a lot of shortcomings to overcome," Mr. Park said.

The passengers stared at the buses waiting to take them back to China. "One trip is enough for a lifetime," someone said. The ship slowly approached the dock.

Then there was a great crashing sound, and the Mangyongbong shuddered. "It's like the Titanic," a Chinese man yelled. People pointed at the concrete pier - the ship had rammed straight into it, denting the front of the hull and reducing a corner of the structure into a pile of rubble. The captain, it seemed, was just as eager as everyone else to get back to shore."

North Korea Seeks to Lure Tourists to Holiday Cruises
September 14, 2011
New York Times