CNN reporting another Carnival Ship having trouble (The Dream)

[ducklite]

So now in this new senario, you have to have a passport to leave a country, you seem to go backwards and forwards on this issue:confused:

 

Not at all. She knew she'd need it to get out of Germany. Germany checks passports and stamps them on the way out. The US doesn't look at them until you arrive in the US. I'm not sure how that is such a difficult concept for you to comprehend.

[dawgdays]

I don't sell travel insurance but that $100 investment is looking pretty good right now!

 

P.S. - you can still purchase travel insurance for your trip, mine was through travel guard

[dwjoe]

Carnival got slammed for not pulling the Triumph from service

 

(even though the issue that resulted in the fire had nothing to do with the earlier repairs)

 

 

Now Carnival is getting slammed for pulling the Dream from service, because they are thinking of their passengers FIRST.

 

A routine maintenance inspection reveals a possible problem and Carnival does not want to take a chance of having an issue.....so they pull the Dream from service .....

 

Make up your minds people!!

I give CCL credit for holding the Dream as a precaution.

 

Their PR department is doing a MUCH better job this time getting their message out there.

 

Nevertheless the mechanical reliability of its ships is still ultimately CCL's responsibility.

 

Gary Cahill issued a statement on Tuesday that shows how seriously they take this; but then the Dream incident happend two days later.

 

They'll pull through but they will take another beating in the media - not as bad as last time though.

[ducklite]

One presumes that a person traveling with a passport that is subsequently lost, stolen, or damaged does not have a BC and photo ID or any other means of establishing citizenship.

 

 

When flying into the US, those are not acceptable forms of ID. That's my whole point. They should have to go through additional screening like anyone else presenting themselves at our borders without the required ID

[dwjoe]

WHat caught my eye in the story was this

 

Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, USCG, told Cruise Critic: "The Coast Guard was notified at 3 a.m. from a passenger reporting overflowing sewage and power outages onboard the vessel Carnival Dream. .

 

SO besides Pax keeping CNN on speed dial ....they now keep the USCG, on speed dial, as well:eek:

Eh, this is the connected world we live in today. People onboard can call the USCG and let them know what's up, and then the USCG can take the appropriate action. But in this case CCL is on top of it so don't think the USCG will need to do much.

[Seago2]

Wow, the buzzards are circling again. Hard to get a post in here before there are two more pages!

 

Let me repeat my credentials as a former cruise ship Chief Engineer with nearly 40 years of total seagoing time.

 

1. USCG would not normally be notified unless the problem related to propulsion or safe navigation; see my previous post. They would get notified if the arrival time was delayed, as all ship arrivals in US waters are required to be tracked, and notification made 48 hours in advance.

 

2. Vacuum toilets will only overflow if people who have used them continue to press the flush button after the first attempt to flush fails. To all cruisers out there: one push only, please. Further pushes on the button will only add water to the toilet, but the discharge valve (what makes the dirty go away) will not open. This causes the toilet to overflow, and deposit your deposit on the deck.

 

3. Do not compare this with the Triumph or Splendor. There was never any fire or loss of power.

 

4. Everyone is guessing right about letting the guests ashore. Carnival is trying to only tick off the current cruisers, and not the next cruise, by keeping the guests where they can sail immediately when the Chief says the problem is fixed. Is this right? Is this good PR? That's a decision that will need to pass the test of time.

 

5. To my thinking, they are right to delay at port until all problems are corrected, to prevent a POSSIBLE Triumph-like loss of power.

 

6. Is this indicative of poor maintenance? Maybe. The real driving force will be Carnival's insurance rates. The more they have to pay out, the more pressure from the other shipping companies in their P&I club to fix things and force the underwriters to more thoroughly inspect the vessels. I know the pressure of the cruise industry to have a "zero down time" product, meaning that everything must work 100% of the time. This results in massive redundancies of equipment and spare parts, and sometimes near super-human effort by those behind the scenes of your cruise to keep things working, even when the problem is not caused by poor maintenance, but by passengers flushing hand towels down the toilets.

 

7. Am I cheerleading for Carnival? No. Personally, I would not cruise a Carnival ship, I only started posting on CC after the Triumph, to try to shed some light on the technical aspects of the industry. I do enjoy cruising (probably one of the very few who have worked the ships that like coming back on their time off). Does Carnival have a problem? You bet. The negative PR is going to cost them plenty. Does this happen to other ships? You bet. Mostly it is not reported on, as the crew will work to keep it from impacting the guests.

 

8. Does this impact the movement for US flag, US crew cruise ships? I hope so, but I doubt it. Too many people are not willing to vote with their feet, and don't consider expanding their "support local" lifestyle to shipping.

 

Enough rant. Fire away.

 

Excellent post!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. So- why wouldn't you sail Carnival? I have my own thoughts on this- as well as a background in Maritime law- but I want to hear your reasons.

[travelplus]

This is not a Dream .Carnival hopefully won't be around much longer with their shoddy maintenance . Their unconscionable approach to maintaining their ships , If its broke don't fix it approach is one less reason I will not sail on Carnival. Its a Carnival of horror.

 

I hope people will Boycott Carnival and head over to Royal Caribbean. Sure doesn't give me anymore confidence to sail on Carnival.

 

Come on people this is too much

[dwjoe]

The Triumph passengers didn't fly back.

I don't think that makes a difference, from a CBP standpoint. The Triumph pax had to clear customs just as if they had flown in, since it was no longer a closed loop cruise. Someone in the main Triumph thread actually posted they had called a friend at CBP for that info.

 

I am curious though whether CBP will send agents to St Maarten to verify documentation and smooth things along.

[Express Man]

This is not a Dream .Carnival hopefully won't be around much longer with their shoddy maintenance . Their unconscionable approach to maintaining their ships , If its broke don't fix it approach is one less reason I will not sail on Carnival. Its a Carnival of horror.

 

I hope people will Boycott Carnival and head over to Royal Caribbean. Sure doesn't give me anymore confidence to sail on Carnival.

 

Come on people this is too much

 

 

See ya!!!

 

If you look at overall reported issues RC's % of issues is higher than CCL when you take in the size of each fleet......;)

[chengkp75]

Excellent post!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. So- why wouldn't you sail Carnival? I have my own thoughts on this- as well as a background in Maritime law- but I want to hear your reasons.

 

Just my personal preference as to cruising demographics. (here come the flaming arrows:p). I know NCL, have worked for NCL, and personally prefer the free-style system. I have sailed Cunard as well, and like that. Basically old fuddy-duddies, I guess.

[Georgie562]

This is not a Dream .Carnival hopefully won't be around much longer with their shoddy maintenance . Their unconscionable approach to maintaining their ships , If its broke don't fix it approach is one less reason I will not sail on Carnival. Its a Carnival of horror.

 

I hope people will Boycott Carnival and head over to Royal Caribbean. Sure doesn't give me anymore confidence to sail on Carnival.

 

Come on people this is too much

 

What is "too much"??

Nothing happened to the passengers. They are indeed very well taken care of. They have food, power, extra time on a beautiful island and a ride back home

[broberts]

This is not a Dream .Carnival hopefully won't be around much longer with their shoddy maintenance . Their unconscionable approach to maintaining their ships , If its broke don't fix it approach is one less reason I will not sail on Carnival. Its a Carnival of horror.

 

I hope people will Boycott Carnival and head over to Royal Caribbean. Sure doesn't give me anymore confidence to sail on Carnival.

 

Come on people this is too much

 

It would be interesting to see links to factual reports of proven shoddy maintenance, poor maintenance protocols, and ignored issues.

 

Personally I prefer to choose carriers based on actual safety records.

[travelplus]

What if passengers were stuck in the elevator that would be terrible.

 

I think there needs to be a Maritime Clause that overrides any port officials in an emergency that passengers can disembark without any passport control for safety and health of passengers. Screw this passport required crap in an emergency who gives a s--- if you don't have a passport but just your state ID.

 

The US Customs and Border Patrol should allow any and all passengers back into the US without further checks and just look up any information such as Drivers License info etc.

 

Carnival should just let the passengers off and find hotels right away. Bring back the port master and crew and get the passengers off ASAP. They are moored but should not be forced to stay onboard for 24 hours.

[dwjoe]

This is not a Dream .Carnival hopefully won't be around much longer with their shoddy maintenance . Their unconscionable approach to maintaining their ships , If its broke don't fix it approach is one less reason I will not sail on Carnival. Its a Carnival of horror.

 

I hope people will Boycott Carnival and head over to Royal Caribbean. Sure doesn't give me anymore confidence to sail on Carnival.

 

Come on people this is too much

No, it is your post that is too much.

 

No "horror" has been encountered on the Dream.

 

Here are the facts:

-The problem was caused by a malfunction in a backup generator

-Some elevators and restrooms were interrupted last night but have been working since 12:30AM today

-Primary power and propulsion were not affected

-As a precaution due to lack of a backup generator, the ship did not sail home

-Guests will be flown home on flights arranged by CCL

-Pax are allowed off til their return flight is scheduled

-Passports will not be an issue.

[Georgie562]

What if passengers were stuck in the elevator that would be terrible.

 

I think there needs to be a Maritime Clause that overrides any port officials in an emergency that passengers can disembark without any passport control for safety and health of passengers. Screw this passport required crap in an emergency who gives a s--- if you don't have a passport but just your state ID.

 

The US Customs and Border Patrol should allow any and all passengers back into the US without further checks and just look up any information such as Drivers License info etc.

 

Carnival should just let the passengers off and find hotels right away. Bring back the port master and crew and get the passengers off ASAP. They are moored but should not be forced to stay onboard for 24 hours.

 

OK your way behind on this thread!

Carnival has even arranged water taxis for passengers who wish to explore more of the island.

No one is forced to stay on board .

[dwjoe]

Just my personal preference as to cruising demographics. (here come the flaming arrows:p). I know NCL, have worked for NCL, and personally prefer the free-style system. I have sailed Cunard as well, and like that. Basically old fuddy-duddies, I guess.

You don't need to explain, chengkp. Each person is free to choose the line they prefer. Even if I do not sail CCL, I appreciate the competition they provide to RCCL and NCL... helps keep fares low.

[scubareader]

What is "too much"??

Nothing happened to the passengers. They are indeed very well taken care of. They have food, power, extra time on a beautiful island and a ride back home

 

"Like Button".

 

Things happen. I have cruised on RCCL. Once. Yes we have had some problems with Carnival but.....THINGS HAPPEN.

 

On a side note. Georgie, we were on the Spirit together for the Hawaii trip, those were some fun waves on the way over.;)

[Express Man]

John Heald

 

As a special treat and a special thank you to our Carnival Dream guests for their understanding tonight we will present a special show for them

 

[reallyitsmema]

What if passengers were stuck in the elevator that would be terrible.

 

I think there needs to be a Maritime Clause that overrides any port officials in an emergency that passengers can disembark without any passport control for safety and health of passengers. Screw this passport required crap in an emergency who gives a s--- if you don't have a passport but just your state ID.

 

The US Customs and Border Patrol should allow any and all passengers back into the US without further checks and just look up any information such as Drivers License info etc.

 

Carnival should just let the passengers off and find hotels right away. Bring back the port master and crew and get the passengers off ASAP. They are moored but should not be forced to stay onboard for 24 hours.

You need to do a little more research. The passengers are free to go into port if they want. They are being flown back to the states in the next few days. They are sitting in a beautiful port. The ship isn't sinking, it is not on fire, it has an issue with a backup system so they are staying in port. Some systems were effected for a short amount of time, a public restroom had a problem.

 

Take a deep breath, all is well.

[MissKIA]

This is not a Dream .Carnival hopefully won't be around much longer with their shoddy maintenance . Their unconscionable approach to maintaining their ships , If its broke don't fix it

 

 

That doesn't make any sense. They are flying the passengers home so that they CAN repair the ship properly.

[hank in ohio]

As Doug Addams used to say, "Don't Panic!":eek: Based on most recent releases from Carnival, the Dream should be back sailing on its March 23rd itinerary. The few toilets that did overflow have stopped their naughty behavior:rolleyes: and ship's housekeeping has cleaned up the mess.

 

A "Live From the Dream" post.

[Seago2]

Just my personal preference as to cruising demographics. (here come the flaming arrows:p). I know NCL, have worked for NCL, and personally prefer the free-style system. I have sailed Cunard as well, and like that. Basically old fuddy-duddies, I guess.

 

Please don't worry about the flaming arrows. They are common in this neck of the woods. I won't sail Carnival any more either- not until they get their product back up to where it was even a few years ago.

 

Thanks for your post.

[ducklite]

I don't think that makes a difference, from a CBP standpoint. The Triumph pax had to clear customs just as if they had flown in, since it was no longer a closed loop cruise. Someone in the main Triumph thread actually posted they had called a friend at CBP for that info.

 

I am curious though whether CBP will send agents to St Maarten to verify documentation and smooth things along.

 

I doubt it. Actually I hope not--unless Carnival is paying for it and not the US taxpayers.

[chengkp75]

You don't need to explain, chengkp. Each person is free to choose the line they prefer. Even if I do not sail CCL, I appreciate the competition they provide to RCCL and NCL... helps keep fares low.

 

Right with you. Not really explaining myself, just answering one of the milder posts here (not even a one alarm fire). Competition is always a good thing. Unfortunately, the cruising public has been treated to the "zero down time" record of the past few years, but with more ships and more equipment, something is going to fail. Why more Carnival than others (though there is no empirical data to support that, on a passenger mile basis)? Law of averages, random chance, take your pick. The only true measure of a ship's or shipping companies breakdown record is which P&I club they are insured in. The better the record (less payouts for repairs, cancellations, etc by the club), the better group you will be invited to join.

[ducklite]

John Heald

 

As a special treat and a special thank you to our Carnival Dream guests for their understanding tonight we will present a special show for them

 

 

Treat? Now THAT is a nightmare! :eek: