Bad Luck of the Seas?

[TBone2K]

We had several emergencies during our 8/16-8/25 cruise on Explorer. On the first night right after the promenade parade the was a "Bravo Bravo Bravo" call due to what the Captain later announced was a small fire in the tech area. When we were getting off at St. Maarten, I saw an ambulance come down the pier and the attendants were escorted on to the ship with a stretcher. Another passenger told me a lady had broken her hip and needed attention.

Also one night, I noticed we had stopped. The reason being a passenger had a medical emergency and was transferred to a Coast Guard vessel to be taken to the closest hospital.

Finally one day 8 around 8:00, there was an "Alpha Alpha Alpha" call to the MDR. I don't know what happened to the passenger in question, but other reports were that the announcement cut off the sound during the show in the theatre, causing some confusion, but the performers being professionals were able to keep their timing together and keep going.

 

So I say all that so I can ask this: Is it normal to have this many problems? I mean, accidents happen, but in all my cruises I never heard a "Bravo" call that was real, they were all announced as drills. I've never heard an "Alpha" call at all until now.

[riclop]

We had several emergencies during our 8/16-8/25 cruise on Explorer. On the first night right after the promenade parade the was a "Bravo Bravo Bravo" call due to what the Captain later announced was a small fire in the tech area. When we were getting off at St. Maarten, I saw an ambulance come down the pier and the attendants were escorted on to the ship with a stretcher. Another passenger told me a lady had broken her hip and needed attention.

Also one night, I noticed we had stopped. The reason being a passenger had a medical emergency and was transferred to a Coast Guard vessel to be taken to the closest hospital.

Finally one day 8 around 8:00, there was an "Alpha Alpha Alpha" call to the MDR. I don't know what happened to the passenger in question, but other reports were that the announcement cut off the sound during the show in the theatre, causing some confusion, but the performers being professionals were able to keep their timing together and keep going.

 

So I say all that so I can ask this: Is it normal to have this many problems? I mean, accidents happen, but in all my cruises I never heard a "Bravo" call that was real, they were all announced as drills. I've never heard an "Alpha" call at all until now.

All of this is possible when you have thousands of people on a ship , not everyone is healthy when they board.

[Jiffymom]

Nope not normal

[Cardinal Cruiser]

Certainly possible. I have encountered many of the situations you have mentioned including more.

-"Oscar, Oscar, Oscar" at 1am in the morning was quite the wake up call. Someone had spotted individuals in the water and the captain threw the boat into neutral. Searched around for at least an hour for the Haitians that were later brought on board.

-Crew member was injured internally so badly that the ship was put into warp drive to meet a Coast Guard helicopter to airlift the crew member of the ship.

 

All part of the experience guess.

[Host Kewlguy]

I've heard numerous alpha emergencies in the past, I've heard an oscar emergency once and a bravo emergency a couple of times. But I have been on over 50 cruises.

[Sh1035]

I often wonder if I am cruising on a nursing home....so these things tend to happen. Sad but true.

[trafficbabe2000]

Unfortunately these things happen every cruise!!! Sometines people get excited to be on a much needed vacation that they take risks they normally wouldn't. Or, the let their guard down, or aren't as aware of all that's happening around them. Add to that sea sickness, and a pitching ship + stairs or a shower :what:

Check out cruise bruise .com

[Paulxyz2004]

Nope not normal

 

I have to disagree.

 

I have never been on a cruise where there weren´t several Alpha calls during the cruise and to have an ambulance waiting when docking isn´t an unusual occurance either. Often times I also see ambulances shortly before sailaway at ports.

 

I have heard some Bravo calls that were not drills as well. So far I´ve been spared from Oscars.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Not only passengers have medical emergenicies on cruise ships. The crew can fall ill or suffer injuries, often serious ones, too.

[jg96]

We had several emergencies during our 8/16-8/25 cruise on Explorer. On the first night right after the promenade parade the was a "Bravo Bravo Bravo" call due to what the Captain later announced was a small fire in the tech area. When we were getting off at St. Maarten, I saw an ambulance come down the pier and the attendants were escorted on to the ship with a stretcher. Another passenger told me a lady had broken her hip and needed attention.

Also one night, I noticed we had stopped. The reason being a passenger had a medical emergency and was transferred to a Coast Guard vessel to be taken to the closest hospital.

Finally one day 8 around 8:00, there was an "Alpha Alpha Alpha" call to the MDR. I don't know what happened to the passenger in question, but other reports were that the announcement cut off the sound during the show in the theatre, causing some confusion, but the performers being professionals were able to keep their timing together and keep going.

 

So I say all that so I can ask this: Is it normal to have this many problems? I mean, accidents happen, but in all my cruises I never heard a "Bravo" call that was real, they were all announced as drills. I've never heard an "Alpha" call at all until now.

Alpha is for medical emergencies, Bravo is for a fire, Charlie is to signify phase 2 of an emergency operation. Never heard of Oscar, but that could be man overboard

[cjm66]

Vessel emergency codes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In addition to distress signals like Mayday and pan-pan, most vessels, especially passenger ships, use some emergency signals to internally alert the crew on board, and in some cases also the passengers. These can be in form of blasts on alarm bells, sounding the ship's whistle or code names paged over the PA system.

Mr. Skylight paged over the PA system is an alert for the crew on board and means there is a minor emergency somewhere.[1] [2]

Mr. Mob means man overboard.[3] Man overboard can also be signaled with three prolonged blasts on the ship's whistle and general alarm bell (Morse code "Oscar").[4]

Code Blue usually means a medical emergency.

Assemble at Muster Stations or Abandon Ship, seven or more short blasts on the ship's whistle and general alarm, followed by one long blast.[4]

Fire and emergency, continuous ringing of the general alarm bell for ten seconds and a continuous sounding of the ship's whistle for ten seconds.[4]

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo, used by many cruise lines to alert crew to a fire or other serious incident on board without alarming passengers.[5]

Alpha, Alpha, Alpha, is the code for Medical Emergency aboard Royal Caribbean ships.

Oscar, Oscar, Oscar, is the code for M.O.B. aboard Royal Caribbean ships.

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, is the code for a security threat aboard Royal Caribbean ships.

Echo, Echo, Echo, is the code for a possible collision with another ship or the shore aboard Royal Caribbean ships.

[cruzinlady1947]

I have experienced one of those calls on almost all of our 20+ cruises. Plus several helicopter rescues at sea. Last cruise was Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. Crew in dive suits, rushing like crazy to promenade deck. Looked real, but they said it was a drill. Ship never slowed down at all. So, it isn't that unusual. Just unusual for all of them on one cruise.

[puggylicious]

I was on a cruise where 3 people died during the cruise. I believe the announcement was "starlight". Very sad.

[Pushka]

I was told that several people died of natural causes on the recent QMII world trip. I was only on her for four nights and three people left on ambulances in our first port stop.

[johneeo]

 

So I say all that so I can ask this: Is it normal to have this many problems?

 

My experience, pretty much.

 

At our muster drill on the Oasis, someone went down at our station requiring emergency medical attention.

 

Prior to that on Explorer returning to Bayonne from Puerto Rico we had to turn around head back to PR to meet up with Coast Guard helicopter for an airlift.

[ChipLondon]

There have been similar announcements on every cruise I have taken, although a lot of them are precautionary, although we have also experienced medical airlifts from various ships, and small fires on a couple of ships. All of which have been dealt with professionally and caused little inconvenience to passengers, including a fire on a recent Allure Cruise where all the dining areas were cleared and passengers moved to the other end of the ship.

 

HOWEVER the announcement I fear most is VISA,VISA,VISA which is made when my wife is spending excessive money in the onboard shops.

 

 

 

.

[ChipLondon]

Double post time to kick the computer again.............

[28 Frediebeach]

We have been on 4 cruises and on 3 we have had a medical emergency.We missed stop in Bermuda because they had to airlift a passenger.Last cruise on Navigator in April on 2 stops people left in ambulance & on airlift in Labadee:eek:

[sleepless]

I often wonder if I am cruising on a nursing home....so these things tend to happen. Sad but true.

 

 

The elderly are not the only people who get sick or injured. Unexpected emergency situations can happen to anybody - young or old.

[MagentaandRiffRaff]

Things do happen. My brother's first cruise on RCI was enhanced with two deaths! One woman died on a scuba excursion and the other collapsed on a fishing excursion. My brother happened to be on both excursions and his back ground is fire and rescue (EMT). Not that he could do anything, but he felt as if he should have done something to help. He came home asking, "Is this like most cruises?" He's not been back on a cruise since! Kind of sad.

[Ladysilver]

The elderly are not the only people who get sick or injured. Unexpected emergency situations can happen to anybody - young or old.

 

 

Right....My daughter was 26 when she got seriously ill last January on our cruise. We were taken off the ship in Mexico. :(

[negc]

Nope not normal

 

Unfortunately it is more normal than not and we have heard quite a few Bravo and Alpha calls that were not drills. Twice we have seen passengers airlifted when we were on transatlantic cruises and have seen ambulances meet the ship in many different ports. And once, a fellow passenger passed away during our cruise. Only once or twice have we experienced a call involving a small, usually electrical fire, onboard. With so many people sailing on so many ships, such incidents are much more likely to happen than not.

[xxoocruiser]

I often wonder if I am cruising on a nursing home....so these things tend to happen. Sad but true.

 

So from your comment you are making the assumption that all on board accidents only happen to the more elderly ?

 

Most of the cruises I've been on, the majority of the injuries that occurred were to much younger individuals. In fact just my last cruise there were several accidents that occured to people in their 30-40's and the cruise hadn't left it's embarkation port ! Illness and accidents do not differentiate between age... even on a cruise ship .

[HesterMofet]

I think this must happen quite frequently.

 

On our first cruise in April on FOS, someone was airlifted off. We were kept apprised of the situation and any delays throughout the incident.

 

We were also delayed in leaving Falmouth because of an excursion injury. (I believe the lady badly sprained or broke her foot on Dunn's River Falls as she re-entered the boat in a wheelchair and spent the rest of her time onboard in it. She was greeted with thunderous applause, while the true slackers were met with "RUN!")

 

5500 people in one place for week? Something is bound to happen and I think RCCL is topnotch at taking care of its passengers and crew when emergencies occur.

[candy4msu]

Love your VISA VISA VISA announcement!