Will The Costa Concordia Tragedy Change Your Cruise Plans

[maxsales]

After we got over the shock of the tragedy, my husband jokingly suggested that perhaps we should get in touch with our TA to inquire about a Scared Passenger discount.

Our next cruise is the Equinox TA ending up in Rome. It will be a bit disconcerting sailing anywhere near the vicinity of this most dreadful and senseless accident.

Our previous Solstice cruise 15 months ago was guided by a wonderful Italian captain who kept us out of harm's way during a very active hurricane season.

I have confidence in Celebrity.

 

I find it surprising that you had an Italian Captain on Solstice. The best information I have seen is that all of their Captains are Greek with the exception of one Norweign.

[Presto2]

No - it will just make me more thankful when I get home from a holiday / long cruise or journey safely.

[TLCOhio]

I find it surprising that you had an Italian Captain on Solstice. The best information I have seen is that all of their Captains are Greek with the exception of one Norweign.

 

Our Solstice Captain in June, 2011, was from Greece. For summer of 2010 with Silversea along the Norway coast up to the North Cape, inside the fjords, etc., our very good Captain was Italian. On our previous two cruises with Seabourn and Crystal, the Captains were from Norway.

 

Along the Norway coast, there was a also a pilot who was very familiar with these areas, each of the ports, etc. As we were told, the pilot can give advice and help, but the final decisions were always that of the Captain.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 56,960 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Tony UK]

No it won't affect me one bit! There are always risks with travel and I try to reduce the level of risk by using companies with a good reputation, not automatically using the cheapest, taking emergency procedures seriously.

 

This applies to planes trains buses cars, hotels - all forms of transport.

 

The biggest risk in any situation is panic!

[BILL-WI]

My plans will not change at all, unless as I expect, there is a slow down in bookings and there are bargains offered. I will be a BUYER! :):)

 

BILL

[Tony UK]

good thinking bill !

[ladylemondrop]

You have to admit it is very hard to stay focused. After a number of cruises how to put on a life jacket is pretty repetititve. The good I always take away from the drill is where the muster station is.

 

I doubt that most cruise lines will allow you or your children to actually get into a lifeboat. So if that is going to be one of your conditions check before you book your cruise. Most cruise lines don't even take passengers to the life boat launching stations. The drill is conducted in the various staging areas where passengers would assemble in the event of an actual emergency.

 

What I meant is that I will ensure my kids know that if there is an emergency, they should get in a life boat and wear a life jacket and not go looking for us!

I will take them and show them their muster station myself on embarkation. I work for a cruise company, I know how the drill goes - and I ALWAYS attend!

[msbptg]

Actually it will not. There may even be a silver lining in that some people will drop out making reduction in prices likely for those who stick through it.

 

Sad but true, I was thinking the same thing.

[gelo7]

Not at all....no more than a car accident would keep me from driving.

[graphicguy]

It will. Understand, that I don't have a cruise planned right now. And, I'm two weeks removed from my last cruise (Solstice) that didn't go so well, either.

 

This incident just punctuates planning a different type of vacation this year....one that's land based. Seeing that Costa is slithering away from taking responsibility, and that they have left their stranded passengers to their own devices to get home, I'm not feeling like giving any cruise line any of my money.

 

Not feeling real safe on a cruise right now, either....for obvious reasons.

[ladylemondrop]

The ship was clearly very top heavy, are Celebrity ships designed this way?

[buggins0402]

Booked our next one today. Asked our travel agent if there was some cancellations today - answer was no.

[Foxy lady]

Leaving July 17th on a Princess cruise with my granddaughter. No thought whatsoever of cancelling a cruise. I just pray we won't get into a traffic accident on the way to the airport!

[Leibe_]

I would never have cruised a Carnival ship regardless of the name. Once was more than enough for me................

I believe that Celebrity and Azamara are much safer lines with thoroughly trained Captains, not 4 year wonder boys. I will be paying more attention to Muster drills however and I will check out the life jackets in my cabin which I did last cruise. Add a flashlight.

But afterall, all you can do is all you can do........

Safe cruising to us all.

[TLCOhio]

Leaving July 17th on a Princess cruise with my granddaughter. No thought whatsoever of cancelling a cruise. I just pray we won't get into a traffic accident on the way to the airport!

 

Agree that the biggest risk is the car drive and/or air flight to your cruise.

 

On the CBS Evening News tonight at 6:30 pm EST, they were going to have a major segment looking at overall cruise ship safety and practices, including in and around the United States.

 

In other stories within the past hour, there are these new developments: From AP newswire, they have this headline: "Environmental fears mount in Italian cruise wreck" with these highlights: " Italy's cruise liner tragedy turned into an environmental crisis Monday, as rough seas battering the stricken mega-ship raised fears that fuel might leak into pristine waters off Tuscany that are part of a protected sanctuary for dolphins, porpoises and whales. Earlier, authorities had said 16 people were missing. But an Italian Coast Guard official, Marco Brusco, said late Monday that 25 passengers and four crew members were unaccounted for three days after the disaster. He didn't explain the jump, but indicated 10 of the missing are Germans. Two Americans are also among the missing."

 

From Telegraph in London, they have this headline: "As his ship took on water, captain told coastguard: It’s no emergency" with these highlights: "Francesco Schettino, 52, was so slow to raise the alarm that the first emergency services knew of the unfolding tragedy was when passengers used mobile phones to call the police. Even when the coastguard radioed Mr Schettino to ask what was going on, he insisted the ship had merely suffered an electrical fault. It was only at 10.30pm local time, an hour after rocks had ripped a 160ft gash in the ship’s hull, that the captain finally sent out a Mayday distress call. The delay led to difficulties in using lifeboats on the port side, because by then the ship was listing heavily to starboard. The captain had clambered into a lifeboat at 11.40pm, ahead of women and children. An hour later he told the coastguard he was 'co-ordinating the rescue' from the shore. He said: 'There are only 200 people left on board. But I’m not in touch with them, I’m in a lifeboat.' Aghast, the coastguard ordered him back to the ship. Mr Schettino failed to comply."

 

As more news and details come out, it does not reflect a very positive story.

 

Full stories at:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gfC6id4E8dRub2B_Xx6EuyxVNWQA?docId=acdb77b1a6c4472fbefd8366ec459db7

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9019143/Cruise-disaster-as-his-ship-took-on-water-captain-told-coastguard-Its-no-emergency.html

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 56,960 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[macusr]

While I am saddened by the tragic loss of lives and disturbed by the reprehensible behavior of the captain (if all reports prove to be true), it will not change my passion for cruising. Having sailed on Princess, Celebrity, and soon Disney, I have no doubts that the circumstances leading up to and during the Costa tragedy are an isolated incident.

[floridatravelersforlife]

I am encouraged to say that I will be less concerned when the cruise lines adopt more effective drills. People as myself are politicking the cruise lines through reinvent the education process. A video in the casino doesnt cut it. Send a letter to your cruise lines CEO.

 

Sure it wont solve panic or hysteria but it could save one or two lives which could be yours!

[emileg]

The ship was clearly very top heavy, are Celebrity ships designed this way?

Ships only look top-heavy. The superstructure, all those decks above the hull, are mostly air. The sheer weight of the heavy machinery in the lower parts of the hull plus the ballast keep a ship from rolling over. No ship is designed to handle an imbalance of water from port to starboard or traveling up to the higher decks. My sense is the same kind of "accident" could affect any ship in a similar way. However, you never hear of a cruise ship rolling over when it is in open seas no matter how severe the wind and seas are. But, hitting bottom is NEVER an option!

[Despegue]

Leibe,

 

Experience has NOTHING to do with this accident.

Francesco Schettino is 52 and graduated in 1980 from Maritie Academy. he has thus 31 years of experience at sea and came to Costa Cruises in 2001, holding a Captains Licence ( master Unlimited Tonnage Ocean), having previously commanded other ocean vessels for other companies I believe.

Don't say that the Master of Concordia was a 4 year wonderboy:rolleyes:

 

One of the Masters of the World's largest passenger ship, Allure of the Seas has considerable less experience by the way. Does this make him less capable as a Captain? Not at all. Captaincy is a combination of character, knowledge and ability. One has to have 60 months of experience on the seas, which is around 7 years to be able to gain the Captain Licence. Promotions are quicker in Aviation, where I know of several Captains B747-400 in their late twenties and early thirties ( I am one of these) flying for Western Flag carriers.

[Despegue]

On another note,

 

ALL passengers onboard Costa Concordia had the opportunity to see the muster drill on Television. Very few do so on cruises.

 

ALL passengers had the location of their Muster stations CLEARLY mentioned on the back of their Cabin doors, together with lifevest donning instructions and general emergency sign.

VERY FEW passengers look at this.

 

The panic and chaos that nearly alwaysgoes together with a challenging mass evacuation is not only caused by confusion by crew but also by passengers who SHOULD have familiarized themselves with emergency instructions but who couldn't care less.

 

This is a continuing problem in nearly all evacuations, both on sea as in aviation.

[emileg]

On another note,

 

ALL passengers onboard Costa Concordia had the opportunity to see the muster drill on Television. Very few do so on cruises.

 

ALL passengers had the location of their Muster stations CLEARLY mentioned on the back of their Cabin doors, together with lifevest donning instructions and general emergency sign.

VERY FEW passengers look at this.

 

The panic and chaos that nearly alwaysgoes together with a challenging mass evacuation is not only caused by confusion by crew but also by passengers who SHOULD have familiarized themselves with emergency instructions but who couldn't care less.

 

This is a continuing problem in nearly all evacuations, both on sea as in aviation.

Yet in spite of all the confusion, practically all the passengers and crew were safely evacuated in the life boats with a very low percentage of deaths and missing.

[Papa T]

Leibe,

 

Experience has NOTHING to do with this accident.

Francesco Schettino is 52 and graduated in 1980 from Maritie Academy. he has thus 31 years of experience at sea and came to Costa Cruises in 2001, holding a Captains Licence ( master Unlimited Tonnage Ocean), having previously commanded other ocean vessels for other companies I believe.

Don't say that the Master of Concordia was a 4 year wonderboy:rolleyes:

 

One of the Masters of the World's largest passenger ship, Allure of the Seas has considerable less experience by the way. Does this make him less capable as a Captain? Not at all. Captaincy is a combination of character, knowledge and ability. One has to have 60 months of experience on the seas, which is around 7 years to be able to gain the Captain Licence. Promotions are quicker in Aviation, where I know of several Captains B747-400 in their late twenties and early thirties ( I am one of these) flying for Western Flag carriers.

 

Perhaps the missing quality was good judgement as it appears he was showboating on an unapproved course.

[cruisenshop]

It is hard to overcome the photo of this lovely ship aground. It is impossible to forget that many lived through a horror and that some did not survive. That said, it will not deter our future cruise travel.

 

I traveled to Europe shortly after 9/11. Many thought I was crazy. However, I viewed it as a safer time to travel. I have always felt safe cruising. Hopefully the days ahead will provide for safer cruise travel.

 

Having taken bridge tours and having had the technology of navigation explained, it is unfathomable that these rocks and the proximity to land was not known to the entire crew on the bridge.

[raudacruise]

Cruising - no. Staying away from Carnival and all of the sister companies - yes. Besides this and the well documented drifting at sea incident on Carnival I had the pleasure to be on a Princess ship trying to make time the last night of the cruise. The ship rocked and rolled so much that over half the passengers and crew got sick that night. The dining room was empty (and more than a few clatters were heard from what little plates/cups in use).

 

I'm sure that if the captain had done a reroute around the storm it would not have been so bad. But that might have caused them to arrive at the debarkation port late and cost money. Better to give the current passengers a totally bad last night experience than affect the bottom line a little.

 

That company is not run right.

[Karen@Steve]

If you really think about it, it's probably the safest time to cruise. Cruises companies, crews and passengers will not be taking any of this lightly. I expect to see a whole new attitude toward muster drills and simulations. Cruise companies and land based emergency personnel will be reviewing what went wrong (and right) and will continue to improve as a result of this incident.