Let's Talk Intelligently About This!

[5waldos]

Don't rush to judgement, while the captain may have left, the crew stayed behind and worked their butts off to get as many passengers off the vessel as possible given the circumstances. They evacuated 4,000 people in under 2 hours with a heavy list, so don't blame the crew.

 

From everything I have read- Right On! The captain will pay for his cowardice, for what else can you call it. The crew is being generally lauded.

[T. Advisor King]

Accidents happen (some through negligence, others just accidents) in cars, busses, trains, planes, elevators, etc. I don't have a cruise coming up in my near future, but this incident doesn't decrease the likelihood of me booking one sometime in the next year or two.

 

I may pay closer attention at the next muster drill, but I am one of those who, whenever I get on a plane, looks at the safety card, identifies my nearest exit and back-up exit and counts the number of rows to any mid-cabin exit (in a smoke-filled cabin, you may only be able to locate the exits by knowing how far forward/back they are and counting the rows as you pass them).

 

I will also continue to take resealable baggies on vacation. They have 101 uses and combined with a cell phone with a flashlight app, they could come in useful in an emergency.

[Sh1035]

ever think how many of our soldiers die everyday for our freedom....not to get off topic....but it's not on the news every hour.....nobody cares when 6 die...just add it to the total...not like they were watching a magic show or had a 4 course meal!

[Payd]

First off , the capsizing of the Concordia was a terrible, terrible event with loss of human life!

But, all you niegh-sayers just love to post out of gut reaction. Why not sail again? Why not sail on the Concordia? What's with "Carnival better do right"!

This has been the first such accident of its kind with the loss of human life in oh, how long?

We drive cars: hundreds of accidents everyday! We fly planes: hundreds of crashes every year! Is there any such safer transportation or vacation than a cruise ship???

Get real folks! My heart goes out to the people who died and their families. . . and to the passengers and crew, and even the Captain!

But really, not cruising again because of this?

 

I am also very sad about the tragic events surrounding the Concordia. However, it would not keep me from sailing again.

 

I really don't like flying - in fact might say I hate it - and from time to time planes crash...but I still get on a plane.

 

God bless those impacted by the tragedy.

[luvtheships]

Don't rush to judgement, while the captain may have left, the crew stayed behind and worked their butts off to get as many passengers off the vessel as possible given the circumstances. They evacuated 4,000 people in under 2 hours with a heavy list, so don't blame the crew.

I stand corrected about the crew.....but it is so unbelievable about the idiot captain...you have to wonder are there others out there like him?

 

Many will say he was unusual in his lack on competence...but I don't know...fortunately cruise ships do not sink often and there is no way to tell just how a captain will react in the face of crisis....and by crisis..I do not mean out running a storm...

 

 

Just an FYI..I was just perusing some other posts....and not everyone is applauding the crew

[tntornadox]

I won't blame the crew because they were under an immense amount of stress themselves and did the best they could with what they had...

[ContingentSea]

I'm a glass "half full" type of person. Only half the ship sank and my cabin would have been on the port side! :)

[richkinkade]

"Why not sail on the Concordia?" Because Costa's managment was woefully slow to do anything for the passengers evacuated from the ship. In fact, I wouldn't sail Costa at all. If press reports from passengers are anywhere near accurate, I'd have fired the President of Costa by now.

[H82seaUgo]

ever think how many of our soldiers die everyday for our freedom....not to get off topic....but it's not on the news every hour.....nobody cares when 6 die...just add it to the total...not like they were watching a magic show or had a 4 course meal!

 

actually, those 6+ people were murdered.

[gelo7]

First off , the capsizing of the Concordia was a terrible, terrible event with loss of human life!

But, all you niegh-sayers just love to post out of gut reaction. Why not sail again? Why not sail on the Concordia? What's with "Carnival better do right"!

This has been the first such accident of its kind with the loss of human life in oh, how long?

We drive cars: hundreds of accidents everyday! We fly planes: hundreds of crashes every year! Is there any such safer transportation or vacation than a cruise ship???

Get real folks! My heart goes out to the people who died and their families. . . and to the passengers and crew, and even the Captain!

But really, not cruising again because of this?

Well said......

[halos]

What I got out of this was the obvious, Captains (or CD's or any other crew member) are not Gods. They're just human like everyone else and you never know what you're going to do or how you are going to react if you are in such an immensely scary situation.

I guess I always kept that scene from Titanic in my head where the captain stoically stands at the helm while the water comes rushing in...but how realistic is that???

I think what bothers me most about this is that it seems not many kept a cool head while this was going on...I don't know that I could either to be honest...but panic and chaos certainly did not make this situation any better.

The whole thing is pretty shocking. That ship went over WAY too quickly...very scary.

 

Oh, I guess i should add that this incident will not change my love of cruising but I will definitely be a little more serious at muster for sure!!

[michelle1836]

no I will not cancel. in fact, I will try and book extra cruises to show my support :D

 

but remember everyone is different and there are some who will cancel and some who are on the fence. so please be patient with those who need it

[pe4all]

I know I am in the minority, but I just cancelled dd23's April cruise on Splendor because of the Costa incident. She is special needs, and was going with 30 other special needs adults. While she is a "seasoned" cruiser (with #14 coming up with me on Glory in Feb.) this was the first time she was "invited" to go, and would have been the first time I let her go cruising "alone." There would have been 5 staff with them from the day program she attends. I was uncomfortable with her going on Splendor because of the fire last year, I was uncomfortable with her flying to CA (the time difference and long flight would probably cause havoc with her meds) and I was uncomfortable that she would be alone in a cabin with no staff in case she had a medical issue. The Costa incident (sister ship) was the straw that broke me. While dd23 is disappointed, she has been following the news, and understands what has been going on. I can't take the chance not being around to help protect her in case something awful happens on a cruise- at least not at this moment in time. I would never be able to live with myself.

[michelle1836]

I know I am in the minority, but I just cancelled dd23's April cruise on Splendor because of the Costa incident. She is special needs, and was going with 30 other special needs adults. While she is a "seasoned" cruiser (with #14 coming up with me on Glory in Feb.) this was the first time she was "invited" to go, and would have been the first time I let her go cruising "alone." There would have been 5 staff with them from the day program she attends. I was uncomfortable with her going on Splendor because of the fire last year, I was uncomfortable with her flying to CA (the time difference and long flight would probably cause havoc with her meds) and I was uncomfortable that she would be alone in a cabin with no staff in case she had a medical issue. The Costa incident (sister ship) was the straw that broke me. While dd23 is disappointed, she has been following the news, and understands what has been going on. I can't take the chance not being around to help protect her in case something awful happens on a cruise- at least not at this moment in time. I would never be able to live with myself.

 

then you made the right decision for you. I hope you and your daughter get to cruise together again

[MagnoliaFly]

There will always be people that will cancel their vacations due to a tragedy that occurred somewhere else.

 

I have no problem continuing to cruise. I still feel it is one of the safest ways to vacation. The statistics are on my side :)

[pe4all]

[quote name='michelle1836']then you made the right decision for you. I hope you and your daughter get to cruise together again[/QUOTE]
We are going together in Feb. on a mom/daughter cruise, and have Breeze booked for next Christmas with the whole family. Nothing will stop us from cruising together.:)

[halos]

[quote name='pe4all']I know I am in the minority, but I just cancelled dd23's April cruise on Splendor because of the Costa incident. She is special needs, and was going with 30 other special needs adults. While she is a "seasoned" cruiser (with #14 coming up with me on Glory in Feb.) this was the first time she was "invited" to go, and would have been the first time I let her go cruising "alone." There would have been 5 staff with them from the day program she attends. I was uncomfortable with her going on Splendor because of the fire last year, I was uncomfortable with her flying to CA (the time difference and long flight would probably cause havoc with her meds) and I was uncomfortable that she would be alone in a cabin with no staff in case she had a medical issue. The Costa incident (sister ship) was the straw that broke me. While dd23 is disappointed, she has been following the news, and understands what has been going on. I can't take the chance not being around to help protect her in case something awful happens on a cruise- at least not at this moment in time. I would never be able to live with myself.[/quote]

If my DD was special needs I'd have done the same...so I guess I'd have been in the minority as well.
I try not to make selfish decisions as a parent (and I think this actually classifies as one because I would cancel my child's cruise in those circumstances to save [I]ME[/I] the week of total hysteria)
But guess what?? I'd just worry about feeling guilty later.

[Cruisingzs]

We were on RCL's Monarch of the Seas 13 years ago that ran into a coral reef and began to take on water. We abandoned ship at 2:00 in the morning. The crew was so organized and prepaired.
We paid attention during the muster drill (something few ever do). So when they sounded the horns in the middle of the night we were prepared. The crew handed out water. The life boats were lowed. Tenders and local fishermen were out within minutes
We left the ship and busses were already lined up to take us to hotels or the airport (depending on which bus you got on). The company had a letter in everyone's hands with the situation, an apology and info on them crediting our on board accounts, credit for fares already being issued and a free cruise credit for future cruises.
If you went to a hotel, food was ready and everything was comped.
RCL had a great plan in place. They company and the crew were more than prepared.
Because it was caused by human error (the reef was marked) all of the captain's staff were fired.
We took the very first cruise on the Monarch right out of dry dock. Even had the same cabin. And have been on many cruises since. Do not be afraid to cruise again.

[timandjennifer]

Why does it concern you so much that some people are going to choose not to cruise now? Everyone doesn't think the same- this tragic accident may have really legitimately scared some people. That's great that you will continue to cruise (as will I) but I'm not going to make a big deal about those who may be afraid to do so now. This is a scary thing that happened and it affects everyone differently. Some of you said "some people just love to gripe about something"....that's exactly what you are doing- you are griping about the people who are griping about not wanting to cruise again... so it's no different.

[L2J]

[quote name='frednsb']First off , the capsizing of the Concordia was a terrible, terrible event with loss of human life!
But, all you niegh-sayers just love to post out of gut reaction. Why not sail again? Why not sail on the Concordia? What's with "Carnival better do right"!
This has been the first such accident of its kind with the loss of human life in oh, how long?
We drive cars: hundreds of accidents everyday! We fly planes: hundreds of crashes every year! Is there any such safer transportation or vacation than a cruise ship???
Get real folks! My heart goes out to the people who died and their families. . . and to the passengers and crew, and even the Captain!
But really, not cruising again because of this?[/quote]

Very sad and avoidable indeed.

Tried to read as much as I could this weekend on the news and here and one thing is for certain...too many Chicken-Little's, too many out-house lawyers and too many *experts* here as well as on MSNBC . com.

[bythehex]

[quote name='halos']What I got out of this was the obvious, Captains (or CD's or any other crew member) are not Gods. They're just human like everyone else and you never know what you're going to do or how you are going to react if you are in such an immensely scary situation.
I guess I always kept that scene from Titanic in my head where the captain stoically stands at the helm while the water comes rushing in...but how realistic is that???
I think what bothers me most about this is that it seems not many kept a cool head while this was going on...I don't know that I could either to be honest...but panic and chaos certainly did not make this situation any better.
The whole thing is pretty shocking. That ship went over WAY too quickly...very scary.

Oh, I guess i should add that this incident will not change my love of cruising but I will definitely be a little more serious at muster for sure!![/quote]

I agree that Captains are not Gods, they're human and, like the rest of us, fallible. From the little we've heard - and granted, we don't have every detail as of yet - it appears on the surface that the Captain is at fault.

The flip side of this is, think about the literally hundreds of cruises that sail every year without an incident. Think about the Captains who make unpopular decisions to skip visiting islands because the waves are too rough, and they care more about the passengers safety than about making sure someone gets to see the turtle farm.

We shouldn't tar every Captain with the same brush as we seem to be using on the Captain of the Costa ship. It's not fair to let one bad apple spoil things for everyone. My gut feeling is that after this, there'll be a renewed emphasis on safety standards and procedures. At least, I hope so, and I'm willing to put my money on it and continue cruising because frankly, we love it.

I'll leave you with this. My late father used to say "For every person who graduates at the top of their class, there's someone else graduating at the bottom of their class. But they both walk away with the same diploma." Think about it.

[luvtheships]

[quote name='H82seaUgo']actually, those 6+ people were murdered.[/quote]
yes they were...based on the so called facts being reported....that they ship sailed the route so the crew member could wave to family!!!!:eek:

[H82seaUgo]

[quote name='halos']
The whole thing is pretty shocking. That ship went over WAY too quickly...very scary.

[/quote]

the taller the ship, i guess the faster it will go over.

[halos]

[quote name='bythehex']I agree that Captains are not Gods, they're human and, like the rest of us, fallible. From the little we've heard - and granted, we don't have every detail as of yet - it appears on the surface that the Captain is at fault.

The flip side of this is, think about the literally hundreds of cruises that sail every year without an incident. Think about the Captains who make unpopular decisions to skip visiting islands because the waves are too rough, and they care more about the passengers safety than about making sure someone gets to see the turtle farm.

We shouldn't tar every Captain with the same brush as we seem to be using on the Captain of the Costa ship. It's not fair to let one bad apple spoil things for everyone. My gut feeling is that after this, there'll be a renewed emphasis on safety standards and procedures. At least, I hope so, and I'm willing to put my money on it and continue cruising because frankly, we love it.

I'll leave you with this. My late father used to say "For every person who graduates at the top of their class, there's someone else graduating at the bottom of their class. But they both walk away with the same diploma." Think about it.[/quote]

I wouldn't tar every captain...I am not sure I'd tar this one.
I know a Captain is supposed to 'go down with the ship' and all that however, it is human instinct to save yourself. You have to be a very strong, brave (and maybe insane) person to not do everything possible to save yourself in a situation like that because it's what your body and mind are screaming at you to do.
I know people go against that pull all the time...military people for example...or, those amazingly heroic Japanese men that worked on the nuclear facility during the meltdown after the tsunami...
Moms who jump in front of cars to save their kids etc...
however, in an emergency situation, no one really knows what they are capable of (or totally NOT capable of) until the crap hits the fan for real.

Yeah, I guess this captain is a 'bad apple'. He broke one of the most important maritime laws....but I feel sorry for him.
He totally screwed up and his screw up caused lives to be lost. I can't imagine how he'll live with that on top of knowing that he acted like a coward.

[cdamion]

[quote name='halos']I wouldn't tar every captain...I am not sure I'd tar this one.
I know a Captain is supposed to 'go down with the ship' and all that however, it is human instinct to save yourself. You have to be a very strong, brave (and maybe insane) person to not do everything possible to save yourself in a situation like that because it's what your body and mind are screaming at you to do.
I know people go against that pull all the time...military people for example...or, those amazingly heroic Japanese men that worked on the nuclear facility during the meltdown after the tsunami...
Moms who jump in front of cars to save their kids etc...
however, in an emergency situation, no one really knows what they are capable of (or totally NOT capable of) until the crap hits the fan for real.

Yeah, I guess this captain is a 'bad apple'. He broke one of the most important maritime laws....but I feel sorry for him.
He totally screwed up and his screw up caused lives to be lost. I can't imagine how he'll live with that on top of knowing that he acted like a coward.[/QUOTE]

I too feel a bit sorry for him. I'm thinking that he was probably in shock from hitting the reef in the first place. No excuses - he is paid the big bucks to be calm in intense situations, but still...