Carnival Liberty Evacuation

[Maleeni]

Where did I say full refund? I said the $150 would most likely cover inconvenience. And if today is all they miss then there is no financial loss, but we don't know if this will be the extent of it.

 

 

 

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I have to go back and look, but I thought the $150 was to cover yesterday's food and drink land expenses.

[CGinMTL]

I have read every post on this and have a few comments

I work in project management for an engineer firm

.

Thank god this happenned while the ship was docked.

Lets all remember what a blessing that was.

 

a) I admire Carnival for the logistical nightmare this must have been for them. ( and still is)

I think it was a great decision to turn this into a port day to avoid having 3000 on the ship with no news

b) mechanically - am I the only one to think. What is the "root cause" of the fire. The inspection must determine if the vessel can sail and ensure that this does not happen again. 'Safety first".

so far - I agree that $150 pp is a good start for yesterday.

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Lets wait for the next chapter of this SAGA.

.

Finally........ thanks for the "LIVE update" from the CC community.

[NWACruiser]

PauleyDM

 

We outsiders appreciate the updates on the issue. I was on the Dream a few weeks ago and everything went smooth.. In 1999 we were booked on the Paradise when a mechanical function caused the ship to be dry docked. Since our cruise was cancelled, Carnival refunded our money and gave us a discount on another cruise. Therefore we went on the Destiny, which was more expensive, for less than the Paradise.

 

That reminds me there are duty free liquor shops just outside the port. On our Destiny cruise, we hit there and took advantage of all the free tasting.

 

I definitely could have stayed in St. Thomas longer, but we had other islands to go to.

 

So take some advice... get off the ship and take advantage of the free tasting at the shops...

 

Let us know after 4:00 what the status is.

[Maleeni]

This is why we always buy full insurance on a cruise. Even with non-refundable airfare, the insurance would pay for it should the cruise be cancelled by Carnival. I think I paid just at $100 for full insurance on our cruise on the Valor out of San Juan two years ago. Didn't need it but it was nice knowing that we had it. We always budget insurance into out trip cost.

 

Which sometimes becomes a hardship in itself. I often read that Those without insurance get the full refund or the credit. Those with insurance have to file their claim, and then Carnival supplements up to the cost of the cruise.

[Maleeni]

Stuck in St. Thomas??!!! What a tragedy!!! I would love to be on that cruise right now.

 

Given a choice, I'd rather be on a working ship.

[declansdad]

Because my family would rather find another cruise the same week than take the refund, we need to know ASAP that the potential for future cruise cancellation is imminent.

 

The first sign that this a possibility is if the current cruisers get info that they are being flown out. That info will be brought to this board long before carnival makes their official announcement.

 

 

I still wouldn't make a decision solely on this thread. There has been information from some passengers on-board that was shown to be wrong.

 

Since the OP who seems to be the most reliable source on this thread has stated that they will receive an update around 4 pm, there doesn't seem to be any good reason for everyone to stop discussing other things during that time. I'm sure if you read around that time you will get an update if the OP is able to provide one.

[gone_cruisin]

I still wouldn't make a decision solely on this thread. There has been information from some passengers on-board that was shown to be wrong.

 

Since the OP who seems to be the most reliable source on this thread has stated that they will receive an update around 4 pm, there doesn't seem to be any good reason for everyone to stop discussing other things during that time. I'm sure if you read around that time you will get an update if the OP is able to provide one.

 

 

 

Well until you are put into this situation you should not say what each of us should or should not do.

 

The longer carnival waits to pass the info on, the more the other ships start filling up.

[Podna's]

Given a choice, I'd rather be on a working ship.

 

 

Understandable but I'd rather be stuck in St St Thomas on a fully functioning ship (except for the sailing part) with the $150 obc. Just a personal preference.

[pauleydm]

Some laundry is being offloaded and being washed on the Carnival Glory.

[jabberjaw070596]

Well until you are put into this situation you should not say what each of us should or should not do.

 

The longer carnival waits to pass the info on, the more the other ships start filling up.

 

I have actually been in your situation. I was booked on the Celebration in 2006 and the ship broke down 4 days before cruise. The cruise was cancelled 3 days before sail away!! I feel your pain!! It was a very stressful time!!

[Podna's]

Well until you are put into this situation you should not say what each of us should or should not do.

 

The longer carnival waits to pass the info on, the more the other ships start filling up.

 

 

I'm starting to agree with you but I doubt others on future Liberty cruises are jumping the gun just yet. I think you'll be ok. You do have to understand that this inspection will not be taken lightly and the U.S. Coast Guard will not give the ok until it's 100% sure that the passengers on this ship will be safe when this cruise continues. Unfortunately that takes time.

[declansdad]

Well until you are put into this situation you should not say what each of us should or should not do.

 

The longer carnival waits to pass the info on, the more the other ships start filling up.

 

 

Never said you should stop reading, just that I wouldn't make a decision based solely on this thread.

 

If you are that worried, call them and ask for a courtesy hold on a booking. Not sure if Carnival does this but on some other lines we used a TA and she was able to get us a 24 hour hold before we finalized the booking.

[BcIcemen]

I was just informed that the US Coast Guard is here and inspecting the engine room. At this point, we are waiting for clearance to sail. As stated earlier, all guests must be back on the ship at 4:00 pm. We will receive an official update at that time.

 

hope you come back with a good news update. Hopefully sailing 11/1

[jakesnana]

Some laundry is being offloaded and being washed on the Carnival Glory.

 

I wonder why laundry services were affected !! Oh well, at any rate, thank you for the updates. It is nice to have somewhere to go to get RELIABLE updates, rather than waiting on CCL or John Heald to provide them for us :)

[pauleydm]

So, the vibrations felt this morning was not the engines, but in fact the thruster's. The ship was moved with a tug boat and the thrusters were used to keep.the ship next to the sea wall.

[cruiserNC]

I wonder why laundry services were affected !! Oh well, at any rate, thank you for the updates. It is nice to have somewhere to go to get RELIABLE updates, rather than waiting on CCL or John Heald to provide them for us :)

 

 

I always wondered if the ship is constantly doing laundry in consideration of all the crew clothing, towels & sheets etc. I wonder if they simply got behind.

 

 

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[mikem5]

So, the vibrations felt this morning was not the engines, but in fact the thruster's. The ship was moved with a tug boat and the thrusters were used to keep.the ship next to the sea wall.

 

 

Thank you very much for confirming that for me.

[pghsteelerfan]

I've been following this thread, as mentioned before, because we're scheduled to sail on Liberty on 9/20. It is possible that when pauleydm and other current passengers on this current Liberty sailing get an update this afternoon, the update may be specific to how their cruise will proceed in the future but they may not be given information on the status of sailings following the current cruise. I'm sure that Carnival is monitoring the situation closely. We're booking hotel reservations in San Juan (believe that will have until the 17th to cancel w/out penalty if we do end up sailing) but we really can't do anything else at this point until we hear from Carnival or get some status on future sailings.

[cruiserNC]

I and my family sailed the liberty on 8/12/15 to 8/30/15 we were rerouted the day before we left due to hurricane/tropical storm Danny. We got an email Saturday night about 8 pm saying we would not dock in St. Kitts and would be out to sea the first 2 days. St Marten would be on Friday instead of Saturday and St. Thomas would be the last port. St Lucia would be in port 1 hour earlier. I had to contact my tours to let them know my new itinerary. Some didn't get back to me until the next day in San Juan. We got a credit for missing the port (I guess port taxes). My only complaint was that on the second sea day the pools did not open until after12pm due to some mechanical issue (according to the crew). If you are out to sea the pools should be open ASAP. The Liberty is showing signs of wear and tear since that happened and now this fire. Do other cruise lines with newer ships have these problems? I have been on 7 Carnival cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean so I usually read the Carnival sites. But it seems to me when the news reports of these major issues most of the time it seems to be a Carnival ship. Don't get me wrong I sail carnival because no one beats their pricing but are we paying for that in other ways?

 

 

All cruise lines experience some mechanical failures. When you think about the fact that ships engines only get a few hours of down time while in port. It's amazing how durable they are considering the load, weather etc.

Unfortunately it isn't the first fire and most likely will not be the last. What makes me feel really good is they are equipped with technology that mostly contains and minimizes damage. I've been through a house fire and I feel anytime life is spared life is good.

 

 

 

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[soccersharon]

I and my family sailed the liberty on 8/12/15 to 8/30/15 we were rerouted the day before we left due to hurricane/tropical storm Danny. We got an email Saturday night about 8 pm saying we would not dock in St. Kitts and would be out to sea the first 2 days. St Marten would be on Friday instead of Saturday and St. Thomas would be the last port. St Lucia would be in port 1 hour earlier. I had to contact my tours to let them know my new itinerary. Some didn't get back to me until the next day in San Juan. We got a credit for missing the port (I guess port taxes). My only complaint was that on the second sea day the pools did not open until after12pm due to some mechanical issue (according to the crew). If you are out to sea the pools should be open ASAP. The Liberty is showing signs of wear and tear since that happened and now this fire. Do other cruise lines with newer ships have these problems? I have been on 7 Carnival cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean so I usually read the Carnival sites. But it seems to me when the news reports of these major issues most of the time it seems to be a Carnival ship. Don't get me wrong I sail carnival because no one beats their pricing but are we paying for that in other ways?

 

 

The NCL Dawn lost power in Bermuda in May (I believe), and there have been other incidents with other lines (a quick Google search should give you a comprehensive list).

 

The ships go non-stop, all year round. They are complex machines with thousands of moving parts. Failures and breakdowns are inevitable. I do find Carnivals response (as attested to from those aboard the ship), professional and timely. Not sure what more anyone can ask?

[jimbo5544]

I have read every post on this and have a few comments

I work in project management for an engineer firm

.

Thank god this happenned while the ship was docked.

Lets all remember what a blessing that was.

 

a) I admire Carnival for the logistical nightmare this must have been for them. ( and still is)

I think it was a great decision to turn this into a port day to avoid having 3000 on the ship with no news

b) mechanically - am I the only one to think. What is the "root cause" of the fire. The inspection must determine if the vessel can sail and ensure that this does not happen again. 'Safety first".

so far - I agree that $150 pp is a good start for yesterday.

.

Lets wait for the next chapter of this SAGA.

.

Finally........ thanks for the "LIVE update" from the CC community.

Echo the thanks from the OP, quite a job and he is doing it so well. Let's not start injecting logic and facts into the discussion.....;) I agree on the starting point for a credit, I always love when people start throwing around"free cruises" into a conversation they no little about.

[pauleydm]

There are two fuel trucks on site. In approximately two hours we should have the next official update. The Fun Times lists all guests onboard by 4:00 pm, but there is no listing for an actual departure time or destination.

[ksy8384]

Just wondering if today's excursions were on Carnival or not. I too would be looking at hotels if I were scheduled on the next sailing. CYA and all that.

[Cruisegoer]

I've been following this thread, as mentioned before, because we're scheduled to sail on Liberty on 9/20. It is possible that when pauleydm and other current passengers on this current Liberty sailing get an update this afternoon, the update may be specific to how their cruise will proceed in the future but they may not be given information on the status of sailings following the current cruise. I'm sure that Carnival is monitoring the situation closely. We're booking hotel reservations in San Juan (believe that will have until the 17th to cancel w/out penalty if we do end up sailing) but we really can't do anything else at this point until we hear from Carnival or get some status on future sailings.

 

Whom are you asking to respond to this? Carnival may or may not monitor these boards (probably not) so are you really asking passengers currently stranded on this cruise to be directing questions to the ship staff regarding your upcoming???? Really?

 

I think you need to get on the phone to your PVP or your Travel Agent and explain your situation and request they contact you ASAP if there are changes. Unsure what you can do about it considering airline tix are non-refundable however but you're worried about the pre-cruise hotel charge so okay.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Cruisegoer

[kimandbrian]

I am on this ship Sunday (in 5 days). Anxiously awaiting updates, and OP has done a fabulous job.

I have separate travel insurance policy so if mine is canceled next week, I'm pretty sure my flights and everything will be covered. So I don't think I'm going to book anything in San Juan, will probably just take my money and reschedule. We shall see......