fire onboard Insignia

[seasoned]

The poster apologized. Let it go.

-Sukey-

[ChucktownSteve]

[quote name='CHUCKIE50']There was a local story in NY alleging that some of the crew ran off the ship before the guests were evacuated. If true this is disturbing.
[URL]http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/12/15/long-island-couple-recounts-fatal-fire-on-oceania-insignia/[/URL]
I hope some of you who were actually there could comment on these other guest's account.[/quote]

OH YEAH you know those news stories are ALWAYS accurate. I'd never believe they were sensationalized. :rolleyes:

[buggins0402]

Luggage just arrived. Taking inventory now. DH's briefcase ripped because they had to stuff it with things that would normally go in luggage. No issue with that as it was due for replacement, we 're more concerned that items may have fallen out.

I was wondering how they would fit everything in we since we had everything packed prettying tight (it's an art!). We had planned on using the O bag as a carryon for the little odd souvenirs we bought along the way, but I had grabbed that when we left the ship.


Well at least I don't have to spend Christmas Eve doing laundry.

[DOJO466]

[quote name='buggins0402']Luggage just arrived. Taking inventory now. DH's briefcase ripped because they had to stuff it with things that would normally go in luggage. No issue with that as it was due for replacement, we 're more concerned that items may have fallen out.

I was wondering how they would fit everything in we since we had everything packed prettying tight (it's an art!). We had planned on using the O bag as a carryon for the little odd souvenirs we bought along the way, but I had grabbed that when we left the ship.


Well at least I don't have to spend Christmas Eve doing laundry.[/QUOTE]

And won't have to pay $2 lol:D

[LHT28]

[quote name='buggins0402']Luggage just arrived. Taking inventory now. DH's briefcase ripped because they had to stuff it with things that would normally go in luggage. No issue with that as it was due for replacement, we 're more concerned that items may have fallen out.

I was wondering how they would fit everything in we since we had everything packed prettying tight (it's an art!). We had planned on using the O bag as a carryon for the little odd souvenirs we bought along the way, but I had grabbed that when we left the ship.


Well at least I don't have to spend Christmas Eve doing laundry.[/QUOTE]

Glad it arrived & all is in the cases ;)

Lyn

[buggins0402]

[quote name='DOJO466']And won't have to pay $2 lol:D[/QUOTE]

LOL! Just before power went out I bought two tokens....we were going to make St. Lucia an "at sea" day in port and do laundry. Wonder if I can find some one to take them as legal tender here in Detroit???:D

[RJB]

[quote name='buggins0402']LOL! Just before power went out I bought two tokens....we were going to make St. Lucia an "at sea" day in port and do laundry. Wonder if I can find some one to take them as legal tender here in Detroit???:D[/quote]
Save them for your next cruise. You will start ahead of the game. Glad everyone is home safe and sound and getting their luggage.

[globevest]

[quote name='buggins0402']Luggage just arrived. Taking inventory now. DH's briefcase ripped because they had to stuff it with things that would normally go in luggage. No issue with that as it was due for replacement, we 're more concerned that items may have fallen out."

buggins.....glad you have got your luggage. We are still waiting for ours.
Who delivered yours? Did you get any advance notice from 'O' or the delivery company? Thank you.

[Ka Honu]

[quote name='buggins0402']LOL! Just before power went out I bought two tokens....we were going to make St. Lucia an "at sea" day in port and do laundry. Wonder if I can find some one to take them as legal tender here in Detroit???:D[/QUOTE]

[B][COLOR="Blue"]Probably not but with the 50% credit offer you should be able to trade them in for three tokens on your next O cruise.[/COLOR][/B]

[buggins0402]

[quote name='globevest'][quote name='buggins0402']Luggage just arrived. Taking inventory now. DH's briefcase ripped because they had to stuff it with things that would normally go in luggage. No issue with that as it was due for replacement, we 're more concerned that items may have fallen out."

buggins.....glad you have got your luggage. We are still waiting for ours.
Who delivered yours? Did you get any advance notice from 'O' or the delivery company? Thank you.[/QUOTE]

It came fedex. No advance notice. We had to sign for it, so I was glad it came on a weekend day. 90% sure that my swim suit is MIA, so do a careful inventory.

Hope you get your delivery soon, Globevest.

[travelglobetrotter]

We are as one lamenting the loss of life in the fire, in awe of the passengers who rose to help as best they could, empathizing with passengers and crew alike who were shocked and possible traumatized. We have yet to sail on Insignia, but have always found the crew on any of O's ships to be both competent and friendly. We mourn the loss of one of their own, if not as family, close to it, and we are fearful of the financial losses they are bearing.

 

Normally, we don't contribute to funds set up to benefit individuals, but this case is different. We hope that Oceania finds it possible to establish a fund to benefit the Insignia crew members, and publicizes it on CC and elsewhere. This is one time we'd like to contribute to take care of our O family. Marlene

[windowshopper]

Before I say write anything else, let me say the Oceania people were awesome; unfortunately no matter how often you practice, "disasters" don't follow a script. (And other than the couple ran around talking about filing a class-action suit, everyone seemed more concerned about the crew.)

 

We were on that final plane that took off...and we were part of Group 4, and I know there was a group 5...which took off before us; their bus even left before ours!!!

 

We sat on the bus for almost two hours as poor Jonathan (one of the entertainers) ran up and down stairs looking for medications and passports (yes, passports---people had them under their beds, in suitcases and bags, on nightstands, on the sofa—everywhere!!) One 'gent' sent poor Jon up to the 8th floor three times before finding his passports in this pants pocket....

 

Our bus had no shock absorbers so we felt every bump until we finally reached the airport about 4:30 am...when we arrived we were told our plane was delayed but we would take the one currently one there. We started boarding the plane around 5:00, after having our boarding passes taken away and torn up...and then finally got them back in order to get on the plane...about 10 min later we were asked to move to the other plane sitting near us so we shifted over; they again indicated that our plane was leaving first.

 

Well, we sat on the tarmac for 4½ hr while there was a problem with customs accepting the manifest for the trip....during which time we watched the other plane take off around 5:30 (oh yeah, they boarded the plane with Group 5) One of the stranger things is neither plane was full...each one would probably have held both groups!!!! It was not the pilot's fault as has been reported...

 

We took off near 9:30 am and arrived in Miami around noon. When we deplaned, we lined up at passport control; just as we approached the machines, they pulled all of us aside and took us to customs, only to be told we had to go back through passport control...of course, we had to go to the end of the line :-) Finally, when we got through customs was there someone from Oceania to meet us. They gave us a letter which said, basically, because of all we had been through, they were putting us up in the Ritz Carlton for two days, with a generous per diem per day...they also had a dr coming (who turned out to be the medical director for NCL) to give us enough of our prescriptions to tide us until we got home.

.

All that was missing when we arrived was the red carpet; Oceania and Ritz Carlton staff lined up at the door to greet us. Everyone was awesome in taking care of us. It was very difficult finding a store on Key Biscayne selling jeans or heavy jackets but we each managed to find enough to layer when we arrived back in CT on Sunday night at 9:00 pm (they originally wanted us to go through Minneapolis but we persuaded them to change the reservation so we changed planes in Atlanta---phew!!!)

 

I can tell you that when the Oceania people heard about Dr. S, they tracked her down to the hotel where the crew was staying---she flew over with them; they moved her to somewhere special and were treating her like a rockstar!! (We heard this from one of the people in charge.)

 

And, another suggestion to offer in addition to storing important stuff in your safe (I don't like the idea of putting meds in a drawer...I trust the crew, but not so sure about some of the sketchy passengers :p ) Make sure you have any insurance documents handy. Everything I had printed was still in my suitcase, as were our chargers. I called the insurance company when I got home and was told basically that even though our policy was in effect for a few more days, it ended when we got home. Sooo, chargers, DH's phone and anything else we needed to replace that was left on the ship (which we didn't replace as part of the per diem, anticipating that our luggage would be home shortly based upon what we were first told) is not covered. We have learned that we needed to call while all of this was going on....a word to the wise.

 

And a word about Corey...our cruise director. He was in the warehouse with us...it was wonderful having a voice we recognized. I am assuming that Oceania started having higher-ups releasing the info after a while. And the ONLY time we heard him not have a smile in his voice was when he was trying to get people from the first group rounded up...they were paged several times, and finally, when he came on the intercom to page them once again, you could hear all of his frustration....

 

With that said, the few days we had were wonderful and I look forward to cruising on Oceania again, even with the smaller "50%" off discount we thought we might be getting. We made some life-long friends because of this...

 

It's funny, we are already over this...and would probably have thought it was a dream...except for our missing luggage :)

 

Nadine

 

PS This was only our second cruise; the first one was 18 mos ago to Alaska!!!

[buggins0402]

We are as one lamenting the loss of life in the fire, in awe of the passengers who rose to help as best they could, empathizing with passengers and crew alike who were shocked and possible traumatized. We have yet to sail on Insignia, but have always found the crew on any of O's ships to be both competent and friendly. We mourn the loss of one of their own, if not as family, close to it, and we are fearful of the financial losses they are bearing.

 

Normally, we don't contribute to funds set up to benefit individuals, but this case is different. We hope that Oceania finds it possible to establish a fund to benefit the Insignia crew members, and publicizes it on CC and elsewhere. This is one time we'd like to contribute to take care of our O family. Marlene

 

+1. We're in!

[buggins0402]

Before I say write anything else, let me say the Oceania people were awesome; unfortunately no matter how often you practice, "disasters" don't follow a script. (And other than the couple ran around talking about filing a class-action suit, everyone seemed more concerned about the crew.)

 

We were on that final plane that took off...and we were part of Group 4, and I know there was a group 5...which took off before us; their bus even left before ours!!!

 

We sat on the bus for almost two hours as poor Jonathan (one of the entertainers) ran up and down stairs looking for medications and passports (yes, passports---people had them under their beds, in suitcases and bags, on nightstands, on the sofa—everywhere!!) One 'gent' sent poor Jon up to the 8th floor three times before finding his passports in this pants pocket....

 

Our bus had no shock absorbers so we felt every bump until we finally reached the airport about 4:30 am...when we arrived we were told our plane was delayed but we would take the one currently one there. We started boarding the plane around 5:00, after having our boarding passes taken away and torn up...and then finally got them back in order to get on the plane...about 10 min later we were asked to move to the other plane sitting near us so we shifted over; they again indicated that our plane was leaving first.

 

Well, we sat on the tarmac for 4½ hr while there was a problem with customs accepting the manifest for the trip....during which time we watched the other plane take off around 5:30 (oh yeah, they boarded the plane with Group 5) One of the stranger things is neither plane was full...each one would probably have held both groups!!!! It was not the pilot's fault as has been reported...

 

We took off near 9:30 am and arrived in Miami around noon. When we deplaned, we lined up at passport control; just as we approached the machines, they pulled all of us aside and took us to customs, only to be told we had to go back through passport control...of course, we had to go to the end of the line :-) Finally, when we got through customs was there someone from Oceania to meet us. They gave us a letter which said, basically, because of all we had been through, they were putting us up in the Ritz Carlton for two days, with a generous per diem per day...they also had a dr coming (who turned out to be the medical director for NCL) to give us enough of our prescriptions to tide us until we got home.

.

All that was missing when we arrived was the red carpet; Oceania and Ritz Carlton staff lined up at the door to greet us. Everyone was awesome in taking care of us. It was very difficult finding a store on Key Biscayne selling jeans or heavy jackets but we each managed to find enough to layer when we arrived back in CT on Sunday night at 9:00 pm (they originally wanted us to go through Minneapolis but we persuaded them to change the reservation so we changed planes in Atlanta---phew!!!)

 

I can tell you that when the Oceania people heard about Dr. S, they tracked her down to the hotel where the crew was staying---she flew over with them; they moved her to somewhere special and were treating her like a rockstar!! (We heard this from one of the people in charge.)

 

And, another suggestion to offer in addition to storing important stuff in your safe (I don't like the idea of putting meds in a drawer...I trust the crew, but not so sure about some of the sketchy passengers :p ) Make sure you have any insurance documents handy. Everything I had printed was still in my suitcase, as were our chargers. I called the insurance company when I got home and was told basically that even though our policy was in effect for a few more days, it ended when we got home. Sooo, chargers, DH's phone and anything else we needed to replace that was left on the ship (which we didn't replace as part of the per diem, anticipating that our luggage would be home shortly based upon what we were first told) is not covered. We have learned that we needed to call while all of this was going on....a word to the wise.

 

And a word about Corey...our cruise director. He was in the warehouse with us...it was wonderful having a voice we recognized. I am assuming that Oceania started having higher-ups releasing the info after a while. And the ONLY time we heard him not have a smile in his voice was when he was trying to get people from the first group rounded up...they were paged several times, and finally, when he came on the intercom to page them once again, you could hear all of his frustration....

 

With that said, the few days we had were wonderful and I look forward to cruising on Oceania again, even with the smaller "50%" off discount we thought we might be getting. We made some life-long friends because of this...

 

It's funny, we are already over this...and would probably have thought it was a dream...except for our missing luggage :)

 

Nadine

 

PS This was only our second cruise; the first one was 18 mos ago to Alaska!!!

 

Nadine...what a wonderful account of what O did! Makes us wish we had been in group 4! But, to sit for hours on the Tarmac...you definitely are a woman of patience, I would have lost it.

 

Hope you reunite with your luggage soon!

Edited December 21, 2014 by buggins0402

[nana541]

Curious who your insurance was purchased thru?? oceania or??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[windowshopper]

Curious who your insurance was purchased thru?? oceania or??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

April Insurance...recommended by Online Vacation Center, whom we booked through...

[windowshopper]

Nadine...what a wonderful account of what O did! Makes us wish we had been in group 4! But, to sit for hours on the Tarmac...you definitely are a woman of patience, I would have lost it.

 

Hope you reunite with your luggage soon!

 

Thanks! You do what you have to....complaining wouldn't have done any

good:-) But again, things could have been a lot worse for us, namely if the ship had been at sea, if this was a large passenger ship and finally if there had been young children!!!!!

[seasoned]

travelglobetrotter,

 

What a great idea, Marlene! I only wish I’d thought of it first.

 

It’s my recollection that every Oceania ship has a crew welfare fund. Unless someone else already has the information, I’ll try to find out (probably on Monday) how we can contribute to the Insignia’s fund and post the information here.

 

Thanks for thinking of this.

 

-Sukey-

[Merriem]

It was my understanding , and our passports two cruises prior, were kept by the ship. Your post is a little confusing with reference to that topic.

[LHT28]

It was my understanding , and our passports two cruises prior, were kept by the ship. Your post is a little confusing with reference to that topic.

 

I think it depends on the ports you are visiting

 

They usually keep ours... as NON US citizens but on our cruise in Jan to the Caribbean we got them back at check in

Edited December 21, 2014 by LHT28

[chrisoutofafrica]

Hi all that were on the Dec 7 Insignia sailing,

 

Can anyone input some info for us?

 

Thus far, we have not been contacted by O. to explain our options. Did you all get a letter? We did not get anything in writing. We did meet the Pres. at the airport, shook hands with him and he assured us that we would be looked after. But we have heard nothing since whatsoever.

 

I know it is the Holiday season, and everyone is busy and stressed out, but I do not even know about the per diem offered. Can anyone out there enlighten me on this. We were Concierge class on the trip, and just wondering how we actually will get our refunds and reimbursements for out-of-pocket costs. Any help would be appreciated.

 

This is just our second cruise ever, with O being our very first last year, again to the Caribbean. We do love O. and hope to cruise again with them.

 

The loss of life on this cruise was tragic, and we are still dealing with our sadness. I will have more to say on this aspect as soon as I get my thoughts in order. Our prayers go out to those families who lost their loved ones.

[Mura]

In our earlier days of cruising we got used to the ship holding our passports. This got us into a bit of trouble when we were traveling in Israel in 2006 because we didn't think to bring our passports with us. They were safely in our hotel room.

 

When we tried to come back from Bethlehem the Israeli guard wouldn't even talk to us. (And our Palestinian driver was beyond upset. We figured this was typical for him but he was SO frustrated.) The guard suggested we go to another entry where presenting our NY drivers' licenses was no problem.

 

My husband's Israeli cousin, waiting for us at the first border, was also frothing ...

 

But it seems that in the past year or two, we often need to have our passports with us.

 

When I first started traveling in Europe (in the '70s), we always had to carry our passports. Then the hotels started holding them. Then when we were cruising, the ships held them.

 

And now we're back to often needing to have them on hand ...

 

Sometimes it's hard keeping up with what you need to do ...

 

I rather preferred the times when we didn't need to carry our passports with us ... if only because I don't want to worry about someone lifting it from my bag (which did happen to me in Prague in 1998).

 

Mura

[kuldalai]

Also what is happening with INSIGNIA after the fire ? How much is the damage ? Where is it to be repaired ? How many of INSIGNIA's forward itineraries are cancelled ? Looked under the Media segment of Oceania,s website but the fire doesnt even rate a mention . Just all the spin and good news stories .

Edited December 21, 2014 by kuldalai

[StanandJim]

Also what is happening with INSIGNIA after the fire ? How much is the damage ? Where is it to be repaired ? How many of INSIGNIA's forward itineraries are cancelled ? Looked under the Media segment of Oceania,s website but the fire doesnt even rate a mention . Just all the spin and good news stories .

 

 

Oceania has already announced that the remainder of the cruise where the incident happened, as well as the one immediately following it, have been cancelled.

 

What that means is that the next scheduled departure, as of my writing this, is the 180 day World Cruise, which is was supposed to sail from Miami at 5PM on January 10, 2015.

 

At present, Insignia is being towed, very slowly, by the salvage rescue vessel Abeille Liberte to Puerto Rico, where the damage will be fully assessed.

 

Given this situation, it is my opinion that the World Cruise Passengers will be informed first of the Insignia's next sailing date.

[buggins0402]

Hi all that were on the Dec 7 Insignia sailing,

 

Can anyone input some info for us?

 

Thus far, we have not been contacted by O. to explain our options. Did you all get a letter? We did not get anything in writing. We did meet the Pres. at the airport, shook hands with him and he assured us that we would be looked after. But we have heard nothing since whatsoever.

 

I know it is the Holiday season, and everyone is busy and stressed out, but I do not even know about the per diem offered. Can anyone out there enlighten me on this. We were Concierge class on the trip, and just wondering how we actually will get our refunds and reimbursements for out-of-pocket costs. Any help would be appreciated.

 

This is just our second cruise ever, with O being our very first last year, again to the Caribbean. We do love O. and hope to cruise again with them.

 

The loss of life on this cruise was tragic, and we are still dealing with our sadness. I will have more to say on this aspect as soon as I get my thoughts in order. Our prayers go out to those families who lost their loved ones.

 

Chris, if you booked through a travel agent, then they will contact you regarding the reimbursements for the cruise cost. Otherwise, I would contact Oceania.

 

My TA called on Friday, telling me that the credits were being processed and then e-mailed a copy of the revised invoice showing which credit cards are being credited (I usually put the deposit on one of my cards and stick DH with the balance:D). My card was reissued with a new expiration date just before we left, so I hope that doesn't present a problem.

 

As for the per deim, my understanding from an NCL rep at the Doubletree was that was for the food charges at the hotel. Since O picked up the bill, it was kind of hidden. To get reimbursed for items one had to buy to get home (warm, clean clothes), you will have to send receipts and a letter to Guest Relations at Oceania.

 

As for the credit for the next cruise, that was issued to my TA so she can apply to the next cruise we book. The cruise must be booked within one year of the date of the credit (sorry, I forget what date the credit had - it's either Dec 7, Dec 11, or Dec 19).

 

In our case, I really believe it helped using an O specialist TA, not a large Internet TA. She received copies of all the emails sent by O and promptly forwarded them...so in some cases I rec'd two emails. In the case of the last luggage email, somehow the O email never got to me (I think it went to DH's address, but he does none of the planning and he doesn't go online very frequently.) Thankfully, her forwarded message did get to me.

 

Perhaps Globevest, Sandy or Windowshopper can correct if they have a different understanding.

Edited December 21, 2014 by buggins0402