Positive Media Coverage of the Dawn? WOW

[GummyBear]

Thank you NY Sun for an unbiased news article:

 

http://www.nysun.com/article/12432

[Dolphins]

Good, balanced coverage of the cruise.

[zimmerjulie]

Thanks for the link. I enjoyed reading the article.

[98Charlie]

I join the line of thank yous for that link. Included great quotes and from people who aren't for a morning spot on TV to vent. ``Just the facts, mam. All we want are the facts.''

 

Dianne

[Cruiser Forever]

Thanks for sharing this story with us.

[greenie]

That was really good to read, thank you.

 

Interesting how this (positive) thread only gets a few replies! *sigh*

[shoreguy]

That was really good to read, thank you.

 

Interesting how this (positive) thread only gets a few replies! *sigh*

 

Just goes to show - Bad news sells

[gemsm]

Thanks for sharing the article...I really enjoyed reading an unbiased account at the pier :)

[WaldosPepper]

Thanks so much for sharing the "Other side of the coin" article! It was truly refreshing to see a positive post on the whole incident! Bravo!

[snorklinbarb]

How to Survive

A Freak Wave --

And Avoid Whining

 

By BARBARA D. PHILLIPS

April 22, 2005; Page W13

 

New York

 

Rough seas buffeted the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship on its way from Miami

to New York last Friday and Saturday, turning a pleasure cruise into a

thrill ride. Then a "freak" seven-story wave hit the bow on decks nine

and 10.

 

Reports were carried world-wide. Some "terrified" passengers in

newspaper and TV accounts described "storm chaos"; others likened the

event to the Titanic disaster or criticized the "nonchalant" attitude of

the ship's captain, Niklas Peterstam, accusing him of incompetence, or

arrogance, or of "pushing to make port." They charged that he put the

needs of his employer, Norwegian Cruise Line -- which reportedly had

arranged to have the ship filmed early Sunday for an episode of "The

Apprentice" -- ahead of the safety of his passengers and crew. Oh, the

inhumanity!

 

And what was the toll of Mother Nature's wrath this time, just months

after a tsunami killed hundreds of thousands? Two windows shattered, 62

cabins flooded (out of a total of 1,112) -- and four cases of minor cuts

and bruises. As one of the more than 2,000 tempest-tossed passengers on

the Dawn, I feel free to say that we sure have defined disaster down.

 

In fact, Capt. Peterstam was the voice of cool competence. The weather

didn't behave quite as predicted, but he did warn us on Friday morning

that the seas would be rough for the next several hours. And he kept us

informed, as did a channel on our TVs. He never sent out a distress

call, but he and his bosses insist that we were never in distress and

that he never put our lives at risk. I believe them. The low number of

injuries -- and the fact that we were able to reach New York only a day

late after a stop in Charleston, S.C., to replace the broken windows --

seems to bear this out. The ship passed Coast Guard inspection. And when

we docked in New York, the Dawn took on its next load of passengers and

set sail again.

 

But for many folks who sailed with me, the illusion of carefree travel

was shattered. It seemed to hit them like a tidal wave that the fantasy

of perfect pleasure in perfect conditions -- a fantasy nurtured by the

cruise-ship industry -- relies on the cooperation of Mother Nature. Last

week she wasn't in the mood to play along, and they reacted with sound

and fury of their own.

 

Norwegian Cruise Line's description of "Freestyle Cruising" promises a

pageful of freedoms. "You really can do it all. You are free to express

yourself day and night," the brochures tell travelers. Onboard the Dawn

you can eat in any of the 10 restaurants or just order room service.

Resort casual is the recommended dress; even donning an evening gown or

tux for the formal dinner is "optional." And you can work off all that

food in the gym, open 24/7.

 

Last Friday, scheduled activities included casino gambling; a Champagne

art auction; performances of "Bollywood," a "fantastic show full of

special effects and incredible feats of human strength"; and an

appearance by the Second City comedy troupe. The Freestyle Daily listed

a golf seminar and couples massage. For traditionalists, the card room

and library were open.

 

But all this freedom from responsibility, paid for by credit card, comes

at a price. It seems to induce in adult cruisers a childlike -- and

sometimes childish -- state. You can start to think you are owed it all

by birthright: the sumptuous food, the endless entertainment, the ice

cream on the pool deck, the pampering turndown service that fashions

clever animals from the towels -- even endless sunny days on placid

seas. No doubt the unreality of it all -- no less than the freak wave

itself -- inspired all that post-storm whining and the lawsuits that are

following in its wake.

 

The crew of the Norwegian Dawn rushed to clean up the mess, for all the

good it did them. They kissed the psychic boo-boos and tried to make

things better. We were all offered a refund of half the cost of this

cruise, as well as a credit of the rest toward a future voyage.

Passengers who had been in the damaged cabins left in Charleston and

flew to Newark Airport on a plane chartered by Norwegian Cruise Line.

Most of the rest of us stayed onboard, free drinks flowed, and we

arrived in a warm and sunny New York.

 

I'm not going to argue that this cruise was a pleasure trip from start

to finish. I will not quickly forget my aunt and I holed up in our cabin

during the worst of it, as drawers opened and closed, and the ice bucket

and much else came crashing to the floor. I'm sure that we would have

been a lot more frightened had we been in one of the flooded cabins on

the other end of the ship.

 

But doped on Dramamine, fueled by apples and crackers, and reassured by

nearby sea-sickness bags, Aunt Blanche and I did ride out the storm. And

we survived -- like everyone else on the ship. It wasn't even a close

call. The lesson seems obvious but bears repeating: Oceans -- and

digestive systems -- are unpredictable. And you can never take a

vacation from reality.

[Almagetty]

Great Wall Street Journal article! A voice of reason!!!Thank you for the clear rational presentation!

[Zeno]

Great Wall Street journal article article - full of common sense

[shoreguy]

Great Wall Street Journal article! A voice of reason!!!Thank you for the clear rational presentation!

 

Are you saying the WSJ and the NY Post have a different approach to the News :rolleyes: :D :D

 

If I had to make a critical decision what source would I trust :confused:

[Almagetty]

Are you saying the WSJ and the NY Post have a different approach to the News :rolleyes: :D :D

 

If I had to make a critical decision what source would I trust :confused:

 

Shoreguy:

 

;)