CNN reporting another Carnival Ship having trouble (The Dream)

[airmj2123]

Four if you count the paperweight sitting on a rock off Italy.

 

If you take all the Carnival Corp owned ships, the percentage of non-working ships goes down.

[ducklite]

Oh, this is what I love! The elitists are out now. I know, you are just such a worldly person, jetting about the globe, and the commoners are always making a mess of your plans.

 

I have no idea what you are talking about when you say make a mess of my plans.

 

How about some perspective, OK? Let's take my son as an example. A young couple with one or two young children, both work and are saddled with housing costs, a modest car payment, and student loan debt. They find that they can book a four or five day vacation on a certain cruise line at an affordable price. They do research and also find out about the tipping, and then figure in the cost to drive to Galveston for a well deserved family vacation. Now, add in the cost of demanding that they purchase documents THAT ARE NOT REQUIRED BY LAW, and the price of a cruise is no longer affordable. Of course, some of you snobs would prefer that budget travelers not inconvenience you with their presence. It tends to take away the prestige of your chosen vacation lifestyle, I guess? I would have expected you folks to find ways to encourage young families to experience the fun and excitement of a cruise. In fact, just by looking at the target demographic of the Carnival advertisements, I think that is who they are trying to lure aboard.

 

I was responding to someone who said that passports should be free. I'll say it again. No they shouldn't. If someone wants to travel someplace that they need a passport, they should build that cost into their travel budget. It should not be the responsibility of taxpayers to pay for a vacation. Frankly I don't care what cruise someone chooses, seriously, why should I?

 

As my son asked when I told him of this snobbery, "well, how many of those know-it-alls have a CHL in case the bus they are riding in has the driver pulled off for exceeding his logged hours?" I told him about as many that are also multi/com/IFR waiting to take the controls in the event that the flight deck crew becomes unresponsive. Also, I guess about as many decide to return to college and become surgeons just in case they need an appendectomy while stranded in a remote village waving their passports around for the natives to see.

 

I have a Class B CDL with a passenger endorsement--required for my job. Next.

 

If my son decides to take a cruise, that would probably be a one-off for them. They certainly aren't going to be able to afford to take a cruise twice a year like some others here, much less again in the next five years. The rest of the time will be long weekends to Fiesta Texas or maybe a jaunt to grandmas or Tyler State Park with our RV. The passports ($135 X 4) would serve them no purpose for awhile.

 

If they were to choose a vacation that required a passport and the cost is too much of a burden for them, they should choose a different vacation. Fly to Puerto Rico and stay at an all inclusive. No passport needed. The taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for their vacation. Frankly I think it's beyond foolish to leave the country without a passport, and anyone that does takes that risk at their own risk, but if they choose to cruise with just a BC, that's their problem. If they want or need a passport, they need to pay for it, not expect the taxpayers to cover the cost for them--many of whom can't afford a vacation themselves.

 

I have to wade through the same snobbery on the Disney boards. I am a huge Disney fan, and while we lived on the East Coast and our son was growing up we would go to either Walt Disney World or Disneyland every other year. Sometimes we would go to one one year, and then the other the very next year. I always dreamed of staying onsite, but until we bought our RV (and stayed at Fort Wilderness) that was just something I couldn't swing. The snobs insist that the only way to enjoy WDW is to stay onsite, yet they lament the building of the value resorts since it allows "a lower class of vacationer" to sully their presence. Now that the DW and I are "all grown up", we can easily afford to stay at any of the Disney Deluxe hotels, yet we prefer to stay at a moderate (Port Orleans Riverside is the wife's favorite). Geeze, Louise.

 

??? I'm not sure what that little rant had to do with anything. Where the people sitting at the table next to me at Disney World are staying doesn't matter to me.

[BeagleOne]

if all we did were cruises I wouldn't have bothered spending the extra money.

 

You know, putting it that way makes a lot of sense. I have had passports since I was too young to sign one myself, and it's never occurred to me to let it lapse. I've been to every continent except Antarctica and lived overseas for ten years. Most of my foreign travels have NOT been on cruises.

 

Broken down over the ten-year life of a passport, the cost is not that great. But you and DryCreek are correct: since you have to pay the entire cost at once, and if you have to get passports for several people, and if you don't plan to do non-cruise foreign travel, well, so long as you are prepared for the possibility of having to leave the ship in a foreign port due to an emergency, and have to pay for passports then, well...it's not up to others to judge or criticize your choice.

 

I don't think passports should be free, however; many people choose not to travel to places or in ways that will require one, and that's their choice. Taxpayers shouldn't fund the choices of those of us who choose to get passports.

[geocruiser]

I doubt they will make those accommodations until there is a significant medical reason to avoid air travel In other words, "Suck it up, Buttercup."

 

There are some people who can't suck it up, for what ever their reasons are. Like you said some medical reasons are why some don't fly..

[swedish weave]

Of course they cut back on maintenance and training, otherwise you wouldn't have these ships breaking down. With the Dream, it's uncalled for that they don't have someone there to assist them in "fixing" the back-up generator.

 

So, every time we get on a Carnival cruise you better hope they don't need to pull over because there will be no one there to fix it!

 

It is obvious that you have not availed yourself of the information you need to make intelligent comments regarding Carnival's maintenance programs. Please read the following.......

 

A leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets, Wärtsilä has received an order of six Wärtsilä 46 engines for the new cruise ship of the global cruise company Carnival Corporation. The cruiser, which will be built by the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard in Italy, carries a preliminary title ‘Carnival Dream 3’. The vessel is scheduled to enter service in spring 2012.

 

In addition to the engine delivery, the contract includes the initialization of the engines and annual crew training.

[Warm Breezes]

She doesn't look to be in bad condition, but I don't think it's an attractive ship. I prefer a more classic look like the original Disney ships or the QE2. The Compagnie du Ponant ships have a great look to them that blends classic and modern--really sleek.

 

 

Don't get me wrong...Disney Wonder and Magic were the first ships we have sailed on and I agree...they were the most beautiful ones we have sailed on to date. But Carnival Freedom is my favorite Carnival ship to date. NCL Epic is my favorite NCL ship to date....all subject to change as we sail more ships and more lines.

[ducklite]

There are some people who can't suck it up, for what ever their reasons are. Like you said some medical reasons are why some don't fly..

 

Which is why I said that they will make some sort of accommodations on other ships for those who can't fly due to medical reasons. For those who just don't want to or are afraid to, well, just call them Buttercup.

[Big_G]

It would have taken me half the time to get through reading this thread if you guys would have stopped feeding the Duck. By the way, any idea how much it's costing Carnival to park the Dream for days at the pier? I can't imagine authorities are allowing them space for the bubble.

[DMRick]

I couldn't get through all 77 pages, and someone may have mentioned this, but my sister's in-laws are on the Dream and taking it well. Carnival flew in some new entertainment and they seem to be enjoying their stay on the ship. Everything on the ship seems to be working and they are enjoying the sunshine. I'm sure they aren't missing our light snow and cold weather.

 

On one of our Princess cruises, taken right after a refit, we had no toilet or shower for a time, many lose the air conditioning, I got stuck in an elevator and had many other problems. It happens. I know I would not like to be stuck in the Ocean with no power, but I can think of worse things than being stuck on the Dream at a port.

 

I will be packing a bit differently for my next cruise, making sure I have extra meds, but this won't stop me or even slow me down from cruising on any brand.

[broberts]

As an airline pilot, I can tell you that if a generator failed in the air, the flight would continue to the final destination without disruption. In fact you would probably NEVER know that something failed in flight.

 

 

It is hoped that a plane on the ground would stay there if it had a non-functioning backup generator system.

 

 

Mechanical problems happen every day on flights. Many are handled without passengers ever knowing.

 

I don't like being a mushroom, but after reading some of the responses to the information released regarding Triumph and now Dream, I really understand why it happens.

[ib4cruzn]

If you take all the Carnival Corp owned ships, the percentage of non-working ships goes down.

 

Interesting choice of words.

[sparks1093]

Fee is a better term, I agree.

 

When a US citizen presents themselves coming off an international flight without a passport, they will be subject to additional scrutiny. Why don't they have a passport? What happened to their passport? Do they have a police report? How can they prove they are a citizen? Their ID will be checked and run against various databases. They will likely be asked personal questions like their fathers name, a previous address, etc.--information contained in databases but not on the ID. A positive ID will have to be made via photo or fingerprints and their citizenship verified before the person is allowed into the country. If they are carrying a birth certificate as well, this could take maybe five minutes. If not, it can take several hours.

 

Again, these passengers left the US with the legally required documentation. It is not their fault that they cannot return on the same mode of transportation that they left on. They should not be fined or inconvenienced for this at all. CBP already knows all of the answers to any question they could ask and their names have already been run against the databases so there is absolutely no need to put the passengers through this (and your proposal likely would increase the cost of processing these passengers because CBP would need to have more officers on shift to handle the extra work load of giving hundreds of passengers the third degree).

[ib4cruzn]

As an airline pilot, I can tell you that if a generator failed in the air, the flight would continue to the final destination without disruption. In fact you would probably NEVER know that something failed in flight.

 

 

Unless, of course, raw sewage is making its way up to the exit rows...

[MrPete]

If you take all the Carnival Corp owned ships, the percentage of non-working ships goes down.

 

If you include all the ships that they have retired, sold or scrapped, it goes down even further.

[Tutankhamen]

Passport. My final word.

 

I would not travel abroad without a Passport. To me, taking a cruise without a passport is like driving without a spare tire. Chances are, I will not need the spare and it will just sit in my trunk. But as we know, ship happens and I like to have the spare as a safety net.

If I thought that the cost of a passport was more then I could comfortably afford, I would choose a different vacation. If I bought a used car and couldn't justify the cost of buying a spare, I would find a cheaper car to buy.

 

I worded this post carefully to use the words I. This is how I think and operate my life and my finances. This doesn't make me an elitist, but more like a worry wart. I worry about the what if's in life, such as what will happen if I need to fly to the USA half way thru my cruise. What if I can't afford a passport and I am spending money on a cruise and my business goes out of business. I choose to cover my butt in many ways. Other choose not to and that is fine as long as it doesn't cost me.

 

I worry when someone talks about the cost of a passport being beyond their budget. I worry that their finances are in a situation where if something goes wrong at work they could become a burden to the tax payers. If I felt that a passport was beyond what I feel comfortable paying do to finances and I found money for the passport laying on the ground, or the government sent me a passport for free, I still wouldn't be on a cruise. I would feel that my financial status was not sufficient to be spending money on a vacation.

 

Just the way I feel and think.

[MrPete]

Passport. My final word.

 

I would not travel abroad without a Passport. To me, taking a cruise without a passport is like driving without a spare tire. Chances are, I will not need the spare and it will just sit in my trunk.

 

"I" don't agree with your analogy. I think of it more like having a rented U-Haul attached to the back of your car, empty, having nothing to tranport, until you need to.

 

Some of us would only rent it when we actually needed it.

[Tutankhamen]

"I" don't agree with your analogy. I think of it more like having a rented U-Haul attached to the back of your car, empty, having nothing to tranport, until you need to.

 

Some of us would only rent it when we actually needed it.

 

And that people do not agree on all issues is what makes discussion boards a fun place to spend SOME free time. Kind of like going to dinner with friends. Part of the joy in having friends is sitting down and having an educated debate on issues we do not agree on. Whether that be about sports, politics or the like. I see that you have well over 20k posts, so I think we can agree on that.

:)

[MrPete]

Passport. My final word.

 

And never believed this for a minute. I guess I was right.

[Tutankhamen]

And never believed this for a minute. I guess I was right.

 

Did I mention the P. word? Comprehension skills getting a bit rusty? My response had nothing to do with passports, and everything about discussions in general.

 

:)

[MrPete]

Did I mention the P word? Comprehension skills getting a bit rusty? My response had nothing to do with passports, and everything about discussions in general.

 

:)

 

Actually, there's a period after the P word.

 

But I learned years ago when I read "Last word", there are more coming.

 

Meet me at Maggianos.

[Tutankhamen]

Actually, there's a period after the P word.

 

But I learned years ago when I read "Last word", there are more coming.

 

Meet me at Maggianos.

 

And yet again I feel as tho we agree. I am probably far from being done with this thread. I have a cruise booked on the Dream, so I have a vested interest in the issues at hand. I am done discussing the P. word. You can call me out when I do discuss/debate passports in this thread.

 

Funny, I didn't have you pegged as a person that would violate CC's guidelines on spelling and punctuation.

 

Maggianos, no. If you like, I will be at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse at about 8pm tonight.

[MrPete]

 

Funny, I didn't have you pegged as a person that would violate CC's guidelines on spelling and punctuation.

.

 

You are joking right? You thought I corrected you on either?

 

I will now look up the word comprehension.

[cruise addict from TN]

Yup i am in no way trying to defend carnival. They definitely screwed up big alot recently. Not sure if its maintenance or what...

 

But at the same time, i believe this can happen to any cruise line at any given time. So for me personally, i will not let recent events weight on my decision of a cruise line to pick.

 

I don't think anyone has the real facts yet as to why these things have happened. Is it cost cuts? Is it bad personnel? Is it pure mechanical failure?

 

Until all these things are known, the percentages of chances this happening to you on a carnival ship compared to any other cruise line is all speculation and no fact. So to me the numbers are funny.

:(It could be bad Karma for how Carnival did Mobile Alabama. LOL.:eek:

[Tutankhamen]

You are joking right? You thought I corrected you on either?

 

I will now look up the word comprehension.

 

I was going to go into a little rant about low self esteem and other issues, but decided that would not benefit the boards just as these last posts between Mrpete and myself are not benefiting the boards.

 

I wish him luck.

:)

[frugaltravel]

I was going to go into a little rant about low self esteem and other issues, but decided that would not benefit the boards just as these last posts between Mrpete and myself are not benefiting the boards.

 

I wish him luck.

:)

 

I wonder how many other of Mr Pete's 20,000+ posts are as (un)enlightening as the ones above.