Safety Question

[Batchgal]

My husband and I are planning (his first, my 3rd) cruise. We are going on Golden Princess May 26th - June 2nd from Seattle to Alaska for our 20th wedding anniversary. My first cruise was a "work trip"; my company rented a ship instead of a convention center for a week long meeting. The seas were very rough and most of us were really sick going to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and Bahamas. My 2nd was a 40th birthday cruise, just recently on Carnival Triumph. So, I haven't had a GOOD experience yet.

My question is around Princess boat maintenance in general and what would happen if you had no power on an Alaskan cruise? Would it be more dangerous due to ice and shores vs. the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Would the cold be a factor for rescue? Any thoughts. I'm having some SERIOUS fear.

Thanks

JJ

[am-mc]

We are booked to go to Alaska in July and had this question asked of us this last week so we have been thinking about it too. I think that if there was an engine failure onboard while in Alaska you would be in better shape then the ones who were just stuck in the Gulf of Mexico. These are just my opinions - so no facts here - but I think: 1) you are never that far out to sea when you are sailing down/up the coat line of Alaska. 2) There are tons of places with ports so there should be plenty of places to go into and they should have tug boats to help get the ship. 3) if rocks or such are an issue I would think you are close enough to land to anchor - thus helping avoid that. But like I said - I am an accountant and not a cruise expert - but these things make me at least think that I will be fine in Alaska.

 

Dont stress - there was a lot of media on this last thing - this is by no means common and you should be perfectly fine. Dont let the fear of something going wrong keep you from experiencing amazing things.

[Batchgal]

Exactly what I was needing to hear and what I was thinking. Thank You!:)

[CruiserBruce]

There are thousands of cruises every year. You have heard about 1 or 2, tops, bad cruises every year. I think you can figure the odds.

 

Don't leap to any conclusions. So far, no real info on the true and final cause. To say it was neglected maintenance is way premature. And, remember, perfect maintenance doesn't prevent all incidents.

[Batchgal]

The two immediate cruises prior to ours did have maintenance issues that were not reported until our debacle which is why I'm concerned. One of my girlfriend's (who was on the Triumph with me) dad was on the Triumph 2 weeks prior to ours and the propeller broke at Progresso and they couldn't go to Cozumel. The week before ours they had a small fire delaying them by 6 hours. They were not maintained and did a typical 4 - 6 hour turn around for our cruise which is what frightens me. They did declare the start of the fire was due to a leak in a fuel engine return line. Of course a fire is the worst thing that can happen on a ship, but my question is specifically if something horrible happens is it more risky in Alaska with ice and land vs. the Gulf of Mexico.

[CruiserBruce]

A broken propeller is not a maintenance failure. Things break. Machines are not perfect, they fail. Testing also creates wear and tear on machinery.

 

Yes, they announced a fuel line leak, but that doesn't imply maintenance failure.

[Budget Queen]

We are booked to go to Alaska in July and had this question asked of us this last week so we have been thinking about it too. I think that if there was an engine failure onboard while in Alaska you would be in better shape then the ones who were just stuck in the Gulf of Mexico. These are just my opinions - so no facts here - but I think: 1) you are never that far out to sea when you are sailing down/up the coat line of Alaska. 2) There are tons of places with ports so there should be plenty of places to go into and they should have tug boats to help get the ship. 3) if rocks or such are an issue I would think you are close enough to land to anchor - thus helping avoid that. But like I said - I am an accountant and not a cruise expert - but these things make me at least think that I will be fine in Alaska.

 

QUOTE]

 

Not entirely accurate thinking. It does not sound like you have even cruised Alaska? There is a LOT of distant uninhabited "space" in Alaska, and Canada and "tug boats" aren't just available in many places, that could handle a cruiseship.

 

The poster is taking a round trip Seattle cruise which sails approx 2 days- open ocean, and not the "coastal". It also is the least scenic. There are NOT "tons" of places with ports, and certainly most of them would not be able to handle a cruiseship.

 

In my opinion, it is a waste of time to even think about this. Would it lead some people to cancel cruises? Maybe? There is no way to predict the future, and everything reported is hindsight, which is already skewed.

 

My energy is already getting used up with keeping my travel dates accurate. I don't worry about anything, outside my control. :)

[Batchgal]

AGAIN...

My question is around Princess boat maintenance in general and what would happen if you had no power on an Alaskan cruise? Would it be more dangerous due to ice and shores vs. the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Would the cold be a factor for rescue? Any thoughts. I'm having some SERIOUS fear.

 

I really need someone to answer my question and not argue about maintenance or tell me not to be afraid because I am or I wouldn't pose the question.

 

I bought the insurance, so I can cancel. I'm 1 week off a horrifying experience and trying to determine whether I should celebrate my 20th cruising Alaska or not in 13 weeks.

[CruiserBruce]

I would suggest you cancel. You should be, at 13 weeks prior, before final payment. If you have insurance, you might lose your premium, but not your cruise fare.

 

No disrespect intended, but just don't think you are in the right frame of mind.

[WalleyeLJ]

AGAIN...

My question is around Princess boat maintenance in general and what would happen if you had no power on an Alaskan cruise? Would it be more dangerous due to ice and shores vs. the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Would the cold be a factor for rescue? Any thoughts. I'm having some SERIOUS fear.

 

I really need someone to answer my question and not argue about maintenance or tell me not to be afraid because I am or I wouldn't pose the question.

 

I bought the insurance, so I can cancel. I'm 1 week off a horrifying experience and trying to determine whether I should celebrate my 20th cruising Alaska or not in 13 weeks.

 

The truth is I think it's hard for anyone to answer your questions or quell your fears. As far as I know, the situation has not struck a large cruise ship in Alaska, so what might happen is unknown and hard to predict. As BQ mentioned, there are many parts of the Inside Passage (and open ocean sections) that aren't near a port of call. On the other hand, the distances betwen several ports is fairly close, compared to possibly much longer distances between some Caribbean destinations, so it might not be a long tow into some ports.

 

In all likelihood, the next few weeks and months will probably see a greater than usual focus by all cruise lines on trying to ensure such a situation is not repeated anytime soon for the good of the passengers, and the businesses involved in the cruise industry. We have cruised primarily on RCI, and at least in the public spaces we can see, the crew always seems to be working on and cleaning and repair items large and small.

 

As an earlier poster mentioned, the situation on Triumph is pretty rare, and while I certainly understand your concerns (I have them every time I step on a plane) that should be considered when weighing your options. You'll just have to do what's comfortable for you right now. Good luck with your decision, and if you don't go to Alaska this year, hopefully you'll reschedule in the future - it's a wonderful place to visit - either by cruise ship or on land.

 

 

L.J.

[chipmaster]

The Concordia is the story that should make people take stock, but that was a comedy of human errors.

 

The triumph gets lot of press and I'm sure was the big bummer for those on that specific sailing but the reality is nothing really bad happened. Very different than say flying into a 3rd world country on a 3rd tier airline where if something happens its a very bad situation.

 

IMHO unless you see a rash of events this is a one off thing on a vacation that is in general very safe. You should worry more about getting sick traveling to your ship, or on your ship then anything like the Triumph type thing.

[sherryf]

AGAIN...

My question is around Princess boat maintenance in general and what would happen if you had no power on an Alaskan cruise? Would it be more dangerous due to ice and shores vs. the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Would the cold be a factor for rescue? Any thoughts. I'm having some SERIOUS fear.

 

You keep mentioning ice. I think you are picturing an Alaskan cruise as having big chunks of ice in the water the whole time. The only time you will see ice in the water is during scenic glacier cruising, such as in Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay. Also, while it may be cooler on an Alaskan cruise than a Caribbean cruise, it is still summer. Nobody is going to freeze to death and at least you wouldn't have the issue of extreme heat and no A/C.

 

I think you need to consider the odds. These situations are VERY rare. I'm sorry you had to live through the Triumph fiasco, but that doesn't mean it will happen to you again. Take a deep breath, put it behind you, and look forward to a wonderful trip to Alaska. I hope the beauty of Alaska will bring you peace and restore your faith in the cruise industry. Third time's the charm, right?! :)

[vjblk]

You keep mentioning ice. I think you are picturing an Alaskan cruise as having big chunks of ice in the water the whole time. The only time you will see ice in the water is during scenic glacier cruising, such as in Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay. Also, while it may be cooler on an Alaskan cruise than a Caribbean cruise, it is still summer. Nobody is going to freeze to death and at least you wouldn't have the issue of extreme heat and no A/C.

 

 

I too don't know what you are imagining with the "ice" issue. Do you think you will be like an icebreaker and moving through vast frozen ocean ? That certainly isn't the case. While it may be cold at the end of May beginning of June it certainly won't be freezing cold all the time. You will see floating ice chunks when you cruise the glaciers and it will be cold out on deck but that is about the only time it might be real frigid.

 

I too don't think anyone is going to quell your fears and perhaps it's best if you do cancel. No sense getting yourself all worked up over things that probably won't happen but you are convinced might happen due to your past experiences. I guess another question would be are you afraid to fly to the port? There have been plane crashes too due to faulty maintenance but you don't seem to be concerned about your plane ride.

[PennyAgain]

There are remote places along the route of a Seattle to Seattle Alaska cruise as well as open ocean sailing. However actual ice floating along doesn't happen outside of areas with glaciers (ie, Glacier Bay, Columbia Glacier etc).

 

That said, I agree with CruiserBruce that the origiinal poster of this thread needs some time off from cruising. It is not worth the anxiety to cruise at this time.

 

Perhaps later on or not according to this person's own feelings, wants and desires.

[havepassportwilltravel]

Your original question was about maintenance. I'll try to answer that, just from experience...not from knowledge. In my own opinion, Princess works very hard to keep their ships maintained and in good working order. We were on a Princess ship in the Pacific nine years ago when we took on some bad fuel. After we sailed, well out of sight of land, the engines went out for about six hours in the afternoon, but the team repaired them and we continued on. The staff was highly trained to make everyone comfortable and it was a very memorable, positive experience. Very different from the recent Triumph saga, I'm sure. Things happen and one can never predict the "surprises" in travel. Perhaps your third cruise will be a charm! (and I always carry Bonine with me for seasickness as I can get seasick just looking at a bathtub)

[tangerinebunny]

It takes time to recover from tramatic events. You may need to give yourself a break and cancel. It's not about bravery, it's about being able to relax and enjoy.

 

Princess has a good reputation and Carnival has had recurrent problems. But things can always go wrong on any trip.

 

Take care of yourself.

[tillys mom]

Would you consider changing to an inside passage cruise? The water is much calmer and you are closer to shore for a large part of the trip.

 

My other thought is - don't compare Carnival to Princess. You could not pay me to get back on a Carnival ship. Princess is a great cruise line, and I have never had any maintenence problems when sailing with them or several others.

 

I hope you decide to sail as you may get more and more scared the longer you wait to" get back on the horse". We are taking our 2 grandchildren on an Alaskan cruisetour in May, and we wouldn't do that if we didn't feel it was safe.

 

Good luck and happy anniversary.

[Batchgal]

Thanks to all for your comments. We have decided to cruise. Our route is from Seattle to Ketchikan through the Tracy Arm Fjord to Juneau to Skagway and lastly Victoria and back. My fear was regarding the part in the Tracy Arm Fjord where we will be by ice and shore. For if there is no power, the stabilizers, steering, motors etc. don't work. My concern was possibly running into the glaciers and turning over as the Concordia did which would be very dangerous in any water, but especially colder than Gulf of Mexico water. However, a week out from my original post I feel a lot better. After talking with so many people each day, we decided to do our original plan and cruise. We've planned for this, paid for this, and honestly I still WANT to do it. I keep hearing about the beauty of Alaska etc. We already scheduled 2 excursions and are hopefully anticipating a spectacular time. We aren't promised a tomorrow, so we are trying to celebrate "today". Here's to our bucket list and the next 20 years together!

JJ

[CowPrincess]

Thanks to all for your comments. We have decided to cruise. Our route is from Seattle to Ketchikan through the Tracy Arm Fjord to Juneau to Skagway and lastly Victoria and back. My fear was regarding the part in the Tracy Arm Fjord where we will be by ice and shore. For if there is no power, the stabilizers, steering, motors etc. don't work. My concern was possibly running into the glaciers and turning over as the Concordia did which would be very dangerous in any water, but especially colder than Gulf of Mexico water. However, a week out from my original post I feel a lot better. After talking with so many people each day, we decided to do our original plan and cruise. We've planned for this, paid for this, and honestly I still WANT to do it. I keep hearing about the beauty of Alaska etc. We already scheduled 2 excursions and are hopefully anticipating a spectacular time. We aren't promised a tomorrow, so we are trying to celebrate "today". Here's to our bucket list and the next 20 years together!

JJ

 

Re your fear being SPECIFIC to Tracy Arm. We did a full transit of Tracy Arm, and I hope I can reassure you to some degree.

 

1. Tracy Arm is VERY narrow, a lifeboat would have no difficulty reaching land even if it was over-full of pax.

2. The ship moves at pretty-much "no wake" speed, so slowly you hardly know you are moving.

3. The bergy bits are pretty darn small and do not overpopulate the water.

4. If you SHOULD hit a bergy bit, you are moving at SUCH a slow speed (Item #2) chances of any damage to the hull are extremely remote. I guess if the angle of the hull and the pointy bit of the ice were to intersect at exactly the right angle, the hull might get a dent. I guess. But a dent is not a hole, y'know?

 

I'm glad you've decided to do the cruise. Alaska is spectacular :)

[CowPrincess]

Here's a pic that shows the nearness of the shore, a bergy bit, and some of the deck to give a sense of scale. I hope this helps :)

[bonvoyagie]

Batchgal - AK is not that different from southern cruises - except that instead of trying to keep cool you might be trying to keep warm. As for the other things - when a ship looses power it can't steer and you loose things like water and sewage.

 

Since your track record is not that great - I think I would wait awile before crusing again.

[Batchgal]

Thanks for the photo!

[punkincc]

Batch gal, just wanted to reassure you re maintenance of the ships. I am no expert, and as far as I know there are no public records as far as maintenance is concerned, but no cruise line wants a mechanical failure resulting in bad publicity and loss of revenue on a ship which is unable to sail and they work hard to make sure this does not happen.

 

Every cruise ship has regularly scheduled dry dock times to take care of things which cannot be done while the ship is underway. But I would say general maintenance and inspection of a ship's systems can be carried out while at sea or during port time or turn around time and that a maintenance schedule is closely followed and monitored by the cruise line. You seem to have the impression that this can only be done by taking the ship out of commission.

 

The staff are also highly trained in the event of emergencies and conduct regular drills. I have seen lifeboat drills while in port and heard man over board drills, etc.

 

Several years ago on a Princess cruise we had a small engine fire which was quickly put out. We were informed of the situation within minutes by the captain and were given updates regularly during a tense 30 minutes or so. The staff were sent to their emergency stations immediately and although it was scary for a short time, it was very reassuring to see how capable and professional the staff would be in the event of a real disaster.

 

I am glad you have decided to take your Alaskan cruise. We will be going to Alaska in May. Have a great cruise!

[Budget Queen]

Would you consider changing to an inside passage cruise? The water is much calmer and you are closer to shore for a large part of the trip.

 

.

 

closer to shore so you can run into it?? closer to shore where a "port" is 100 miles away?? I don't think this is a good argument.

[Budget Queen]

Batch gal, just wanted to reassure you re maintenance of the ships. I am no expert, and as far as I know there are no public records as far as maintenance is concerned, but no cruise line wants a mechanical failure resulting in bad publicity and loss of revenue on a ship which is unable to sail and they work hard to make sure this does not happen.

 

Every cruise ship has regularly scheduled dry dock times to take care of things which cannot be done while the ship is underway. But I would say general maintenance and inspection of a ship's systems can be carried out while at sea or during port time or turn around time and that a maintenance schedule is closely followed and monitored by the cruise line. You seem to have the impression that this can only be done by taking the ship out of commission.

 

The staff are also highly trained in the event of emergencies and conduct regular drills. I have seen lifeboat drills while in port and heard man over board drills, etc.

 

Several years ago on a Princess cruise we had a small engine fire which was quickly put out. We were informed of the situation within minutes by the captain and were given updates regularly during a tense 30 minutes or so. The staff were sent to their emergency stations immediately and although it was scary for a short time, it was very reassuring to see how capable and professional the staff would be in the event of a real disaster.

 

I am glad you have decided to take your Alaskan cruise. We will be going to Alaska in May. Have a great cruise!

 

I think overall maintance is excellent. I have been cruising for 30 years. Have taken 78 cruises. The "maintance" problem reports are infrequent and run a big range of some insignificant issues.