Fire on Carnival Triumph. No engines, running on emergency generators.

[FSUNole]

12 additional sailings cancelled...

[PrincessKate]

Fair enough :)

 

I would still approach such a cruise with caution, but that's just me. Just based on the prices alone, I would wonder what the catch is.

 

 

By the way, I was on that very same 4 day cruise on Triumph this time about a year ago. I would not at all call it a Booze Cruise, even though that is what one would expect. There was not the heavy drinking party atmosphere the stereotypes would suggest... quite a few older people and some families with children just having a nice time. It was more of a nice relaxing weekend getaway than you would expect.

 

And... the ship was very nice and clean and appeared well maintained. The food and service were also excellent, actually better IMO than on the very popular Ecstasy that Triumph replaced on this route. People should not jump to conclusions that this ship is an old rustbucket, it is not.

[douglinc@msn.com]

I believe gift shops are run by outside vendors separately from CCL. If they chose to refund, that is up to them, not CCL.

 

And just why would anyone want a refund for purchases they made and still have the merchandise???? GREED!

 

Doug

[truecruiser]

The director of the Alabama Cruise Terminal said she'd been given a timeframe of 1-4 Thursday.

 

ty. Hoping sooner rather than later) P.S. Is there a dumpster at the terminal (near to the slip) that the powers that be can sleep in til the ship gets back, you know to get a real feel?????????????, lol....DOH!!!!

 

P.P.S. They're rippin Mickey on FOX over him going to this game.

[skyeman27]

Here is some unsolicited advice for Carnival public relation and damage control executives, do not sugar coat or down play any thing that has occurred. Why? The truth will will come out when passengers are interviewed by the media, and I am sure that we will be seeing videos taken by passengers. You can't stop that from happening. Just a word to the wise...

[gtalum]

P.P.S. They're rippin Mickey on FOX over him going to this game.

 

That was a pretty stupid move, from a PR perspective. There's little he can actually do, but showing up having a fun night on the town was just idiotic. if I recall, the same thing happened during the Splendor incident.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

 

I really doubt Carnival is being "cheap". The sensationalized media coverage alone has cost the company a great deal. If they had a way to reduce this, they would have taken it. And this presumes that Carnival does not have the safety and comfort of their passengers uppermost in their thinking. There is no evidence that the company is so callous. In fact there are several examples in the last few years that would indicate otherwise.

 

...

 

They are better now in making some calls in relation to "what is best for the guest" than they were in 2005...

 

We were on the Miracle heading back into Tampa (coming in behind Hurricane Dennis). Because the Coast Guard had not yet given the "all clear" for the channel, we did circles in the gulf all day. Instead of arriving back around 6 am, we were back at the dock about 10 PM. All through the day we were told "in about an hour we should be heading in". Most people stayed in the public areas with all their carry off belongings, not utilizing the comfort of their cabin as most believed we were about to head in. It was a very long day. I fully understand that was out of Carnival's control.

 

What was, however, under their control was what they decided to do when we were back at the port. Instead of allowing people to spend the rest of the night in their cabins, awake in the morning and have a somewhat normal morning (shower, breakfast, etc...), what they did was have everyone debark at close to midnight to fend for themselves (transportation/hotels).

 

Not a fond memory. The weather the last couple of days certainly was not pleasant, but that's the nature of nature! Carnival made a BAD CALL, and did not earn any brownie points with that one. I (would like to) think that they are now more aware of the potential negative results of their actions, or inactions.

 

EDIT: It was my understanding that the people going on the sailing after ours boarded at the normal time, albeit one day late. I wonder if they were put up in hotels or given an allowance for their troubles. No doubt their cruise fare was pro-rated.

 

Tom

[aberthelot]

Yeah, the Fox interview didn't shed much light or have any direct quotes or interview with family who've heard from passengers other than to repeat what the CG commander said about it being risky to offload passengers at sea. One of the two women on CNN did however say she heard from her husband and daughters who reported sewage backing out of the shower and the poor girls were forced to sleep in the halls because of the smell and a daughter crying and wanting to go home. Poor things. :(

__________

"Never argue with a fool. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience"

Hate to say this but black dirty water backed up in our shower one night on the Victory last month. The waters were very rough. It was disgusting! Carnival needs to get its act together!

[FloridaGram]

In my opinion gift shop purchases and shore excursions taken shouldn't be refunded. Any shore excursions paid for but not taken should be refunded--that includes non-refundable tours with private operators that were missed.

 

 

The original statement said that they were refunding everything EXCEPT things bought in the gift shop and casino charges. I would take that to mean they were refunding shore excursions too, even if they had the excursion.

[jpurdy]

Here is some unsolicited advice for Carnival public relation and damage control executives, do not sugar coat or down play any thing that has occurred. Why? The truth will will come out when passengers are interviewed by the media, and I am sure that we will be seeing videos taken by passengers. You can't stop that from happening. Just a word to the wise...

 

Agree agree agree. Sadly, even with documented proof, some people will call them drama queens, not tough enough, etc.

[dwjoe]

This thread moves so fast and is now so long... did they transfer some pax off??? I only read of 2 medi-evacs...that's it

I heard of only 1 medivac. No large transfer of pax off the ship.

 

Some links:

Q&A Transcript with Director of Alabama Cruise Terminal

http://blog.al.com/live/2013/02/news...th_cruise.html

 

Carnival Press Conference Video (w/o questions from the press)

[gtalum]

Hate to say this but black dirty water backed up in our shower one night on the Victory last month. The waters were very rough. It was disgusting! Carnival needs to get its act together!

 

That, by itself, is something that will happen on every ship from time to time. What's happening on Triumph is much worse because the entire sewage system backed up from loss of power.

[goldesq]

Um, there's no roof on a cruise ship.

BEST quote yet on the entire thread!

[MarkBearSF]

Seeing repeated posts about sending a non-existent ship to rescue passengers and using lifeboats to transfer or evacuate them. Let's make some calculations to put the numbers to the risk involved. These numbers are admittedly my guesses, and would vary greatly depending on the situation (with a severe list, panicked mobs or severe seas, they'd be much higher) - but given what I've seen over 25 years of cruising, I don't think they're too far off-base.

 

Assume that there is a 2% chance of minor injury when boarding a lifeboat (broken bone, deep gash, etc.) and a one half of 1% chance of severe injury which could be life-endangering.

 

With 3600 passengers and non-essential crew (shops, entertainment, spa etc), that would mean that 72 passengers would be injured and 18 souls could be in a life-threatening situation. If they would be reboarding another ship, the second transfer could potentially double the risk (although the medical facilities would help mitigate the impact)

 

If the alternatives to these injuries is an uncomfortable, but safe transport by keeping them aboard in a situation like the Triumph, as a captain - what would be your choice?

 

Now if the ship is sinking - obviously, you would use the boats.

 

Using the lifeboats is NOT a choice to be taken lightly - there is a real risk of injury and loss of life. However, in an emergency situation, risk of injury is better than certain death.

[dwjoe]

Updated CC news article, if you missed it.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5198

 

Gerry Cahill said ... Most of the public bathrooms, there are 23 public bathrooms, most of them are working," he said during a news conference in Miami. There is also a "good section" of passenger cabins, in the forward and midship sections of the ship, that are working.

 

His statement contrasts sharply with reports from the national media, as well comments from Cruise Critic members, that there are no toilets or running water and that there is human waste everywhere.

[gtalum]

How many times can it be repeated: The US Coast Guard is not going to allow a transfer of passengers at sea if their current situation is not life threatening, whether Carnival wanted to do it or not.

 

Thus transfer to another ship is not an option and the idea needs to be discarded.

 

Regardless of what they may or may not have done wrong leading to the crippling engine room fire, it really does seem to me that Carnival is doing everything in their power to get these passengers home quickly and safely in the aftermath. They gain nothing by making conditions worse or slowing down the return.

[aggieastrosfan]

I haven't seen Carnival address this, but I'm assuming it will eventually be addressed. What about people who had money in their Player's Bank in the casino? I sure hope they don't have to wait what seems to be the standard 4-6 weeks to get that money back if they forgot to cash out.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[johneeo]

To those who believe that transferring passengers at sea would be a good idea, please think back to the time you have used a tender to go ashore.

 

That's a difficult process even when it's a non-emergency situation, and the ship is anchored and relatively stable. People still slip and fall and get injured.

 

Please, no more imagining transferring 3000 pax at sea.

 

Of all the things discussed on this thread, transferring 3000 passengers at sea has to be the absolute dumbest.

 

Also, bringing another cruise ship out to get them. Hey, just pull up next to each other, and climb over the top deck like lemmings.:rolleyes:

[declansdad]

Updated CC news article, if you missed it.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5198

 

Gerry Cahill said ... Most of the public bathrooms, there are 23 public bathrooms, most of them are working," he said during a news conference in Miami. There is also a "good section" of passenger cabins, in the forward and midship sections of the ship, that are working.

 

His statement contrasts sharply with reports from the national media, as well comments from Cruise Critic members, that there are no toilets or running water and that there is human waste everywhere.

 

 

At this point all the information is second hand. There is no way to to verify Carnival's information nor is there anyway to verify comments made by members on this board.

[Rasvar]

I haven't seen Carnival address this, but I'm assuming it will eventually be addressed. What about people who had money in their Player's Bank in the casino? I sure hope they don't have to wait what seems to be the standard 4-6 weeks to get that money back if they forgot to cash out.

 

Not so much forgot to cash out as much as couldn't cash out. Sadly, it will probably take a few weeks to get that settled. I guess there is a slim possibility they got power to the casino systems to handle the payouts. I'm going to say that it isn't likely, though.

[boardergirl]

quick question, and sorry if it has already been asked. Why cant a working ship be emptied of its customers and that ship be brought back out to the triumph and have the passengers loaded on that one to bring home?

[truecruiser]

...i just don't understand the entitlement of families on shore that feel they need to know everything that is going on on the ship. you would think they are the ones involved in this event and that they are the ones having to experience the unthinkable.

 

so, what if people have a few restless nights worrying about their loved ones, doesn't make them the victim. yes its hard to be the one left at home, but they know the ship is being towed and that their loved ones are safe and that they will be home by tomorrow. now what else do they HAVE TO KNOW.

 

This is incredibly cold and heartless. :eek:

 

I heard of only 1 medivac. No large transfer of pax off the ship.

 

Some links:

Q&A Transcript with Director of Alabama Cruise Terminal

http://blog.al.com/live/2013/02/news...th_cruise.html

 

Carnival Press Conference Video (w/o questions from the press)

 

I thought there was also a guy with a broken leg? Early -- first day??

 

P.S. Thx for the link to the press conference. I missed it yesterday.

[Cindy]

Asked and answered several times.

 

Tendering from a boat without lights belowdecks and any form of thruster control or stabilization is EXTREMELY risky and is done only when there is no other option. If you have ever tendered to a port in even moderate wind conditions, you have some idea of what's involved. Now imagine doing this with 3000 people over about 60-70 trips. Probably more, because people will insist on taking some basic clothing, etc. Imagine the risk to the crew that has to perform these operations as well.

 

A gangway is not an option because you cannot stabilize the disabled ship.

 

The people on board are not in life threatening conditions. Miserable yes, but you don't risk lives because of miserable conditions.

 

The right thing to do (and what they are doing) is Shelter in Place. See to immediate needs of safety and minimal sustenance. An analogy would be the blizzard in New England. If the power goes out in your house, you don't go out in the blizzard to go to another house unless your life is at risk. The hazards of moving, outweigh the risks of staying.

 

Great post! I'm afraid a lot of people don't want to believe you, but this is my exact understanding of maritime SOP...abandoning ship is ALWAYS the last option. Unfortunately, the expert opinions of people with lots of knowledge in their field (such as physicians) but little understanding of marine safety and procedures just muddy the waters and incite the public with their claims that all should have been transferred to another vessel.

[aggieastrosfan]

Not so much forgot to cash out as much as couldn't cash out. Sadly, it will probably take a few weeks to get that settled. I guess there is a slim possibility they got power to the casino systems to handle the payouts. I'm going to say that it isn't likely, though.

 

Yep, most couldn't. I didn't word my post very well. I was referring to people who forget to cash out on a normal sailing, they have to wait a bit before getting that money back, and hoping they can take care if that soon unlike how long the forgetful ones have to wait.

 

I'm doing too many things at once. Working, posting, and trying to rebook my March cruise. :o

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Aquahound]

I thought there was also a guy with a broken leg? Early -- first day??

 

I'm not sure how related this is, but on Saturday in Cozumel, an ambulance did take someone off the Triumph.