12 cruise passengers killed in Mexico bus crash - Celebrity Equinox and RCCL pax

[gerelmx]

They've announced they are giving all guest internet access credit to get in touch with family

 

:) ,

Another gesture of help can be for those who require a free call home.

[dkjretired]

Royal board is reporting it was a ship sponsored excursion and all the fatalities were on Equinox....I'm sure there is more info to come.

[Cruise Raider]

Oh my goodness ... this is so sad.

[chilliano]

I guess I misheard. I thought the RCCL announcement was that all fatalities were from RCCL. The early stories said passengers were from RCCL.

 

Gerelmx, phones can call on wifi. I called my mom, an avid CNN watcher, in case she connected the dots. I'm sure the ship would/will do all they can

[Roseflyer]

We are on Equinox and were late to arrive back from a shore excursion (through native choice) to the same destination that the tour group was going. We were held up waiting for them to tow the bus. We saw the damage and it was apparent that it went off the highway into a ditch and rolled on its side. The road is perfectly straight in that section and in good condition.

 

The ship is still waiting along with both other ships in port even though Royal Caribbean pulled their gangway, Celebrity still has theirs out. When we boarded, they had photos of those who were late and checking everyone off. We also saw people disembarking with their luggage including one person who was injured.

 

I feel so sad for those on the bus and their families.

Edited December 19, 2017 by Roseflyer

[sippican]

Out of respect to those impacted, please remove the cruisefever link from the origianl post. Utilizing the "video images" link will access photos that are clearly not just "injured".

[lv2cruisgrl]

We are on Equinox and were late to arrive back from a shore excursion (through native choice) to the same destination that the tour group was going. We were held up waiting for them to tow the bus. We saw the damage and it was apparent that it went off the highway into a ditch and rolled on its side. The road is perfectly straight in that section and in good condition.

 

The ship is still waiting along with both other ships in port even though Royal Caribbean pulled their gangway, Celebrity still has theirs out. When we boarded, they had photos of those who were late and checking everyone off. We also saw people disembarking with their luggage including one person who was injured.

 

I feel so sad for those on the bus and their families.

My TA called Celebrity and they said you will sail later tonight. We are to board saturday. Sad for everyone at the holidays. They have also said a young person(child) was among the victims.

[ONECRUISER]

Out of respect to those impacted, please remove the cruisefever link from the origianl post. Utilizing the "video images" link will access photos that are clearly not just "injured".

Agree. Please remove link

[WonderMan3]

Out of respect to those impacted, please remove the cruisefever link from the origianl post. Utilizing the "video images" link will access photos that are clearly not just "injured".

 

 

 

Don’t click on the photo link if you don’t want to see photos.

 

 

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[hcat]

Terrible news... so sad

That is a popular excusrsion but the road to get there is the worst we have ever traveled on....literally just mud ruts

 

Our Prayers go out to the injured, dec and all famiiies.

[Cindy]

What a horrible tragedy! This hits close to home...I’ve been on both ships and have stopped in Costa Maya multiple times. I’m sure the mood on both ships will be very somber tonight. The victims and the loved ones they left behind will be in my heart and prayers.[emoji22]

 

 

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[Remm1024]

Were these unfortunate people on an excursion sponsored by Celebrity and Royal? I was not aware the two lines shared excursions. I have never been on one with Royal passengers. Does anyone know?

 

 

 

Royal Caribbean is owned by Celebrity.

 

 

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[dkjretired]

Don’t click on the photo link if you don’t want to see photos.

 

 

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Agree completely, no reason to remove the link...

[coats141]

So sad, we are on a cruise

(Princess Mexican Rivera)

just landed in PV this am.

Cell service turned back

on and ding, family and

friends were texting us.

 

Prayers for all families

 

iPhoneX via Tapatalk

Edited December 20, 2017 by coats141

[sippican]

Don’t click on the photo link if you don’t want to see photos.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Now that I know what is on the page besides a video, I won't. My heart goes out to those who may know the deceased persons, who may be identifiable by their clothing.

IMHO - a sparse bit of news that could have been otherwise conveyed, is not a trade off for compassion or respect. Of course, you are entitled to your opinion.

[swodog94]

The pictures of the dead and wounded is very typical of Mexican newspapers and magazines. In the case of some of the drug wars, the pictures can be quite graphic. FYSA, the spanish language reporting says that 10 died on the scene (including the Mexican guide) and two succumbed to their injuries later at hospitals. Among the wounded were US, Italian and Swiss nationals.

[debshomespun]

Royal Caribbean is owned by Celebrity.

 

 

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Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Azamara and Pullmatar are all owned by: Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

 

Prayers to all the families involved in the terrible accident today.

[World Gallery]

My prayers go out to these families. Such a tragedy. This is heartbreaking news.

My hope is that the cruise industry takes this seriously and there is a major overhaul in screening and the process in which private companies are hirer. Years ago we were on a Celebrity cruise and a Mexican bus company was hired to take passengers from San Diego to Mexico, where we boarded the ship. Words cannot express the sheer terror I felt on that bus trip. The bus driver was reckless, was speeding and the roads were narrow with no guard rail. Myself and others took a picture of the license plate, reported the incident, emailed and follow through again once at home. It fell on deaf ears. The incident was so disturbing that we have never booked another big bus tour through any cruise line in Mexico. A year before that incident, we witnessed a drowning death on our ship sponsored excursion in Mexico due to negligence. I understand accidents can happen anywhere but I strongly feel safety is not a top priority.

[JaniceB]

NBC nightly news kept showing a shot of the Celebrity Equinox when talking about this accident.

[ghstudio]

So sorry to hear of your loss.

 

Celebrity does (or at least did) listen to safety complaints on excursions. several years ago, I went on a celebrity excursion deep sea fishing (also in Mexico). The boat was mechanically unsafe...they had apparently serviced it prior to our fishing and connected the steering incorrectly so when the wheel was turned right, the boat went left.....leading to some very scary maneuvers getting around other boats, etc. I reported it to Celebrity Excursions as soon as we returned...they immediately refunded what I had paid...and later that week, they terminated their contract with the local tour provider (I know because the very next cruise suddenly had very few tours to take at that port). That doesn't help this situation...but if you do find a safety issue on a tour....notify celebrity.

[CelebrityMan]

My prayers go out to these families. Such a tragedy. This is heartbreaking news.

My hope is that the cruise industry takes this seriously and there is a major overhaul in screening and the process in which private companies are hired. I understand accidents can happen anywhere but I strongly feel safety is not a top priority.

 

So sorry to hear of your loss.

 

Celebrity does (or at least did) listen to safety complaints on excursions. ...if you do find a safety issue on a tour....notify celebrity.

 

This has been a horrible incident, and I'm sure compounded in the collective consciousness by the proximity to Christmas and the involvement of youngsters.

 

In no way do I discount World Gallery's experience on the Ensenada trip. There have been many reports over the years of that being an unpleasant connection — and I completely understand how their experience could reflect poorly on the cruise line. But I also have to support ghstudio in saying that Celebrity takes safety issues very seriously.

 

In our 20 years of sailing with Celebrity, there have been two instances where we felt unsafe — one in Panama, one in Puerto Rico. Both times, I reported them immediately to Guest Relations and the Shore Excursions desk. Both resulted in refunds, and both resulted in the contract with the provider being terminated.

 

Reporting unsafe practices by tour operators/guides/drivers/etc. as soon as one returns to the ship is essential.

 

CM

[OceanCruise]

This tragedy made me think of those open air safari taxis in St Thomas that are used for many excurisons. They are completely open on the sides, have no seat belts and you have to hold on for dear life going up and down the windy roads.

[WonderMan3]

Oh, so this thread has reappeared!

 

This is a tragic situation. I worked for an American-based tour operator not too long ago which had a similar incident. It was in Egypt during an early morning excursion to Abu Simbel. There were two buses full of passengers. Somehow a truck got stuck on the road. The first bus managed to avoid it but the second bus which was driving with its lights off and going at a high rate of speed failed to avoid it. The impact killed 9 and injured 27. Victims’ families sued the company afterward. I know it went to trial as executives from the company had to testify but I never heard how it was resolved as they kept that all hush hush from us employees. Since driver negligence has been hinted at in this Mexico accident I would expect that Royal Caribbean Corp. will be sued by victims’ families even though they had no control over this.

 

 

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[drafterdw]

Were these unfortunate people on an excursion sponsored by Celebrity and Royal? I was not aware the two lines shared excursions. I have never been on one with Royal passengers. Does anyone know?

yes....and I have been on such excursions...they are owned by same company

[Riiya]

I'm on the Equinox, and traveled on a different tour. We passed the accident on the way out of port, without knowing how serious it was, and again saw the bus on our delayed return to port, with what appeared to be every police officer in Quintana Roo on scene. (And despite what happened, our bus driver was driving rather fast.)

 

The captain made an announcement that afternoon, saying only that there was an accident with injuries and fatalities, and indicating the departure would be delayed. I've heard nothing official since, no phone messages or letters delivered to the room. I'm not sure what "normal" is for a tragic event like this. I remember receiving a letter after an incident on a past cruise where a passenger passed away during a shore excursion.