The Triumph Episode ...Nagging thoughts

[RWolver672]

At some point there had to have been a radio conversation between the captain and headquarters about what to do. Men and women in

business suits around some boardroom were discussing all their options. Then came the answer: Issue bags to poop in. It's hard to evade

the fact that Carnival HQ not only made the decision not to take some emergency measures to alleviate the situation but also decided to

not turn into the nearest US Port which would have been Galveston.:confused:

 

Unless you were in that boardroom, nobody has any idea of what went on or why they made the decisions they did.

 

Apparently the people complaining about the red bags have never gone camping. If the bags were placed in the toilets before use, it wouldn't be any different than using the toilet without one in it. Just pull the bag instead of push the button. I've changed hundreds of diapers in my life and it didn't kill me one bit to handle them.

[douglinc@msn.com]

I really love all the experts making comments on the conditions on the ship when they WERE NOT ON THE SHIP! Repeating rumors and media reports that just were not true.

 

I was on the ship... Yes I pooped in the bag.. ONCE. The rest of the time they had the toilets working. About half the time our cabin toilet worked fine. If it was not working there were always "public" restrooms somewhere on the ship that were working. Yes there were lines but not too bad. Had I known they would get the toilets working again so soon I would have waited and not bothered with the plastic bag at all.

 

AND I NEVER EVER SAW SEWAGE RUNNING DOWN THE WALLS! If someone's toilet over flowed it was because they used them when they were told not to use them and then they filled up and when the ship would list in the wind it would come out ...

 

We had perfectly fine running water within a couple of hours of the loss of main power. But once on, we never lost water again, so washing and being sanitary was never an issue.

 

As far as which port they took us to... PROGRESSO WAS NOT THE CLOSEST PORT! By the time the tug from Progresso arrived, the wind had pushed us so we were equal distance between both Mobile and Progresso.. I used the GPS on my phone and confirmed it. Besides we were drifting north to north east at 8 mph without the tug so going to Mobile was the faster alternative anyway. Teh tug would have had to fight the wind also. Not that the tug from Progresso had any hope of pulling us anyway. It was so small that it was delegated to steering duties once it arrived and the much larger tug from Mobile did the pulling. now, would it have been as quick to tow us to Galveston? I can't answer that. It would have been close. But there was no one that I talked to that wanted to go to Progresso over Mobile. I can't imagine how long it would have taken to get that many people home from a city with no international airport.

 

So if you were NOT ON THE TRIUMPH, please stop making comments and giving expert opinion on what things were like and what they could have done and how you would have done things.

 

It's amazing how many "experts" we have that were not on the ship and have no idea how it was.

 

Doug

[flc]

Just got back off of the Magic. Had a GREAT Time. I talked to a fellow passenger that said he had a friend that was on the Triumph during the whole ordeal. The Triumph passenger said it was not at all what CNN was making it out to be. The Triumph passenger said that Carnival treated everone very well. We've all heard the reports how the Crew went out of the way and over the top to help the passengers through the bad situation.

 

If you have a unexpected flat tire ...... are you going to sue yourself fot the fact you had something go wrong with the tire. Or ... are you going to sue the tire company for the fact you pickup a nail in the tire.

 

Everyone i've talked too says .... yes .... it was a bad situation. But Carnival paid back the Cruise, Gave all passengers a Free Future cruise + $500. And yes ..... you can bet you @ss Carnival has learned some lessons over this.

 

I'm not affraid of Carnival. I sailed on the Triumph. Loved the ship. I plan to sail on her again in the future. When that ship leaved the ship yard from being REBUILT ..... it will be very ....very safe to sail on.

 

just my 2 cents

[Uncle Deane]

It's amazing how many "experts" we have that were not on the ship and have no idea how it was.

 

Doug

 

Yes, and they are all out-of-work Marine engineers.

[Surfwench]

I've tried to understand that whole thing and be supportive of Carnival. But I've talked to some of the poor souls that experienced it.

I mean pooping in plastic bags. I didn't even know you could do that. It would have to be a hit and miss affair at best.

 

 

 

:confused:

 

Ever been camping? ;) Or gone on extensive hikes? When you are hiking there are no little red bags... just a comfortable tree to lean against. Be certain to check the area for poison ivy!

 

My best guess is people put the biohazard bags in their toilet, put the seat down over the edges and used that way. Kind of like when you need to provide a sample for medical purposes.

 

Not a 5 star vacation experience, but Carnival realized that and amply compensated the passengers for their inconvenience.

[txponycruiser]

Has anyone ever heard of a disaster plan? A disaster plan is what one should create BEFORE a disaster occurs. Every single one of us should have one for our homes and families in case of a natural or man-made disaster that will limit our resources and facilities. Cruise companies have disaster plans. They have too! No one sets off to sail at sea without the possibility of potential complications that may limit or prevent them from obtaining resources. Carnival obviously has one as it didn't take them long to make accommodations to their guests (red biohaz bags, setting up rendezvous with other ships, contacting the US Coast Guard, etc). Of course, each time a disaster plan is put into action holes are found that cause a re-vamped disaster plan to be created for next time (and there's always a next time).

If you step on board a cruise ship and do not think of the possibility of what could happen if the ship is disabled or is prevented from returning to its home port on time, you either need to develop a personal disaster plan or you need to stay home. You wouldn't dare set off on a camping trip without provisions (extra food/medications/clothes) and cruise ship is no different. We all should take personal responsibility for our own well-being and during an incident such as the Triumph, be willing to sacrifice some comforts to help aid our fellow passengers who may have more difficulty adapting to the situation at hand.

Frankly, I'm tired of the Triumph talk. As others have stated, it wasn't as bad as the media reported and those who couldn't handle it or FOLLOW DIRECTIONS (because that's the most important thing to do during an emergency like this.....for your good and others) should frankly stay home. If everyone had been considerate of others (not using the non-running toilet facilities and not hoarding food) the entire experience would have been less dramatic. As a Texan, I was extremely disappointed when I heard of the selfish behavior of SOME guests (ie hoarding food and overfilling their toilets because they were too proud to take a dump in bag). The actions of few caused unnecessary burden to the majority.

That said, can't wait to be on the Triumph in 82 days!

[Hoosiermama]

We just booked our first Carnival cruise a few days ago. Of course I saw the 24 hour coverage of the Triumph. How could you miss the story? The media tends to overplay everything. That cruise didn't look like much fun, but I noticed how many passengers praised the crew on that trip.

 

I figure if the crew can be pleasant, hard working and helpful in those situations, they're going to be pretty good when everything goes as planned. It sounds great to me.

[Flick]

Somehow all this talk about poop bags reminds me of a cartoon I once saw. The dog being walked "says" "Just who is the master here? I'm NOT the one picking up my poop!"

I, of course, am the proud owner of a shih tzu who would NEVER even think of such a saying LOL.

[HarpHarp]

[

If you have a unexpected flat tire ...... are you going to sue yourself fot the fact you had something go wrong with the tire. Or ... are you going to sue the tire company for the fact you pickup a nail in the tire.

 

Nope, but if I rented a car and it had a flat in the middle of nowhere AND a non-functional spare, I'd want some compensation from the rental car company.

Everyone i've talked too says .... yes .... it was a bad situation. But Carnival paid back the Cruise, Gave all passengers a Free Future cruise + $500. And yes ..... you can bet you @ss Carnival has learned some lessons over this.

 

For some people that compensation would not be enough. My DH is self-employed-no paid vacations and if he's not working,no money is coming in. He would probably have missed between double & triple the compensation offered for the additonal time away.

Many people would not be able or want to take advantage of the free cruise.

Carnival did what they had to do to keep any trouble to a minimum, but don't paint them as generous or corporate saints.

[WetToes]

I mean pooping in plastic bags. I didn't even know you could do that. It would have to be a hit and miss affair at best.

 

Did you see the size of those bags?

[douglinc@msn.com]

[

If you have a unexpected flat tire ...... are you going to sue yourself fot the fact you had something go wrong with the tire. Or ... are you going to sue the tire company for the fact you pickup a nail in the tire.

 

Nope, but if I rented a car and it had a flat in the middle of nowhere AND a non-functional spare, I'd want some compensation from the rental car company.

Everyone i've talked too says .... yes .... it was a bad situation. But Carnival paid back the Cruise, Gave all passengers a Free Future cruise + $500. And yes ..... you can bet you @ss Carnival has learned some lessons over this.

 

For some people that compensation would not be enough. My DH is self-employed-no paid vacations and if he's not working,no money is coming in. He would probably have missed between double & triple the compensation offered for the additonal time away.

Many people would not be able or want to take advantage of the free cruise.

Carnival did what they had to do to keep any trouble to a minimum, but don't paint them as generous or corporate saints.

 

For some people, no amount of money would be enough.

 

Doug

[DebbyDee]

At the end of the day, no-one was killed, Carnival compensated all of the passengers quite well, and from all accounts the crew (who were also suffering through the same thing) went above and beyond to ensure that the passengers were as comfortable as they could be under the circumstances.

 

With all the talk about how 'traumatic' it was for passengers to endure the 'horror' of using the 'red bags' ... has anyone considered how gawd-awful it must have been for the crewmembers to collect these red bags after they had been 'filled'? :eek:

 

The point that so many people are missing (mainly the media who is always looking for it's latest, greatest 'breaking story' to cover for hours and hours and hours...) is that this was not a deliberate act on the part of Carnival. There is no conspiracy theory here ... Carnival didn't 'create' the situation to terrorize passengers. This was a tragedy ... a fire at sea - and it COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH, MUCH WORSE! ... what if the fire wasn't able to be contained as quickly as it was?

 

I think the crew of that ship are the unsung heroes!! I wish I could see more threads singing the praises of the crewmembers who withstood the same uncomfortable conditions - and had to work their a$$es off trying to keep the passengers as comfortable as possible.

[Don Haynes]

The truth is we are wed to electricity. And when the electricity goes down, even on land, not much of anything electrical works without an extra power source. Unfortunately, ships at sea don't have power lines connecting them to another source.

[Rudyard]

It amazes me that even when people that were on the ship pop into a thread to set things straight, the trolls still won't give up.

[HarpHarp]

And your backup plan would be??? Maybe they should just tow an empty cruise ship behind them just in case.......

 

Doug

 

Isn't that what the secondary generator / power plant is for? Does anyone know why it wasn't or couldn't be brought on line? I know they said they couldn't do it with the Splendor, but they should have been able to.

"The ship has three engines in the aft engine room and three in a forward engine room. Each generator is connected to two switchboards. The failure of a single engine or generator should not normally cause a total power loss.[23] Clark Dodge, former chief engineer for Washington State Ferries, said, "If things were designed properly, all the power shouldn't have gone out"

I wonder how much Carnival has learned from these disasters.

I still cannot think of another cruise ship in the last 30 other than the Splendor and the Angelina Lauro (Costa) that were totally disabled because of a fire.

[gtalum]

Isn't that what the secondary generator / power plant is for? Does anyone know why it wasn't or couldn't be brought on line? I know they said they couldn't do it with the Splendor, but they should have been able to.

"The ship has three engines in the aft engine room and three in a forward engine room. Each generator is connected to two switchboards. The failure of a single engine or generator should not normally cause a total power loss.[23] Clark Dodge, former chief engineer for Washington State Ferries, said, "If things were designed properly, all the power shouldn't have gone out"

I wonder how much Carnival has learned from these disasters.

I still cannot think of another cruise ship in the last 30 other than the Splendor and the Angelina Lauro (Costa) that were totally disabled because of a fire.

 

The emergency generators were brought online in both situations, but they only provide limited power for essential functions.

[PSkinner]

I am an Air Force brat. In the late 60's early 70's we were stationed in Okinawa, Japan. During or last year there we had a severe drought. They tried "seeding" clouds but that was really a hit or miss idea; usually miss. Our last 3-4 months on the island we were placed on water rationing. 36 hours off and 6 hours on. That is it. Every 36 hours you had running water. But because it was off the rest of the time it was not drinkable so we had to either boil the water or mix clorox into it so we could drink, cook, etc. When water was on we showered (no baths allowed especially for girls/women) stored water in anything we could for flushing toilets later, washing off in during the off hours, etc. WE LIVED!!!! Not the most pleasant of experiences but we didn't complain; we had to live with what we had. You have to make the most with what you have available. I think Carnival and their staff did a fantastic job.

[rufflesmom]

Go back in time to 1993, the Mississippi River valley. We lived in Illinois, part of the metro St. Louis east area. The river flooded, our water plant was right on the river. It flooded and we lost water. For 3 weeks!!! No running water. No showers or baths, no toilets that could be flushed. For 3 wks we had to go to designated areas to get water. Any water used in cooking had to be kept for flushing toilets. Could not wash clothes or hair. Sound like fun??? Well it wasn't. People would check into motel rooms just to take a shower. We had to go to neighboring towns that had water to wash clothes. We did what we had to do to get by. And we survived the ordeal. Do I feel bad for those people on the Triumph? Absolutely. But guess what, life sucks sometimes. Get over it. NO ONE DIED!!!!

 

I am so sick of all this complaining from people who weren't even on the Triumph. If you are that unhappy with Carnival, feel free to move over to another cruise line.

[Chirpbird]

I mean pooping in plastic bags. I didn't even know you could do that. It would have to be a hit and miss affair at best.

 

I do believe the OP's question is sincere and earnest. However, the above excerpt about pooping in plastic bags being "a hit and miss affair at best" had me laughing out loud. :D:o

[richard1s]

I am an Air Force brat. In the late 60's early 70's we were stationed in Okinawa, Japan. During or last year there we had a severe drought. They tried "seeding" clouds but that was really a hit or miss idea; usually miss. Our last 3-4 months on the island we were placed on water rationing. 36 hours off and 6 hours on. That is it. Every 36 hours you had running water. But because it was off the rest of the time it was not drinkable so we had to either boil the water or mix clorox into it so we could drink, cook, etc. When water was on we showered (no baths allowed especially for girls/women) stored water in anything we could for flushing toilets later, washing off in during the off hours, etc. WE LIVED!!!! Not the most pleasant of experiences but we didn't complain; we had to live with what we had. You have to make the most with what you have available. I think Carnival and their staff did a fantastic job.

 

LOL - when did paying for a vacation with hard earned money become some sort of survivalist experience from the '60's. This site never disappoints to surprise and achieve the bizzaro world level.

[yogimax]

If you are that unhappy with Carnival, feel free to move over to another cruise line.

 

Apparently, a lot of people are moving to other cruise lines...

 

Thus all the sales!

[jtwanabe]

The Carni-Zombies are in full swing today! I started this post with a simple "nagging thought". I didn't damn Carnival to hell forever.

 

And while we are busy trading survival stories I personally have lived in a log cabin with no electricity, running water and an outhouse

out back during 55 degrees below zero weather. Yes it's doable but I wouldn't pay for the experience. But these are folks who paid

good money in a down economy and used up limited vacation time to ride with Carnival.

 

It's not like they were struck by a asteroid or attacked by a giant squid. The possibility of an engine fire taking down all the power

should have occurred to someone long before this. They had no plan other than the "the bag, the rag and go gag."

 

I wonder it the stewards made "towel maggots" at night. Oooogh I'm going to hear about that one.:D

 

Just saying ......

[Cruizinman]

 

The powers that be have spoken :rolleyes:

[k2excursion]

I'm not really bothered by it. Yes, these people paid for a cruise, not a backpacking experience (during which I have pooped in bags and had to carry it down the mountain with me:eek:, or pooped in holes I dug). But that's why Carnival refunded the money + everything else they gave. Sometimes, our vacations don't turn out anything like we wanted, and sometimes a company is to be held accountable for that. Carnival has been. They've even held themselves accountable with the refunds and all else. So it's time to move on, and time for me to thoroughly enjoy my next Carnival cruise in 11 days.

 

Do recent events have me wondering a little in regards to the future? Sure they do. I'm curious to see what happens with the new Carnival (with all the changes in the last 2-3 years). I may try out different cruiselines or do more land-based trips just to see how things play out. And I may not return to Carnival after next Jan. But I do not fault the way they handled these recent incidents. They handled them about as good as can be expected. Most other options that people toss around just wouldn't work. There are problems with those strategies that they just don't realize.

[Keel Haul]

My wife said she would only use the bag if they provided shoes and gloves that match.